Dusk
by backwardmoosetuesday
Summary: When four friends decide to go on a road trip to the setting of their favorite book, they are shocked to discover the fine line between fiction and reality, and how easily it is crossed. Both dreams and nightmares can come true in Forks.
1. Green

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a little prelude -- This was written as a gift for one of my friends. I was pressured by a few people to put this online, so I did. The four main characters are real people, and some of what happens may anger some people. That's alright though, I like any criticism. If you feel inspired enough to tell me you love it or you hate it, please tell me. Later chapters will contain slash (gay) content. However, that's not a main theme, so don't let it ruin the whole story for you. Enjoy, and remember -- Feedback is appreciated!

**Chapter 1 -- Green**

"Are we there yet?" Jessica whined from the back seat.

"Almost," Joe sighed. His back hurt for driving fourteen hours in the last two days. "We probably have a good thirty minutes left."

"I can hardly wait!" Sarah squealed from the passenger seat. She was frantically taking pictures left and right of the massive sea of green foliage surrounding her.

"I'm with Jessica, I just ready to get there," Daisha complained from beside Jessica, her head resting heavily on the window.

"Look!" Sarah cried, pointing out the window towards a sign that read 'Forks -- 23 Miles'. She hastily snapped a few dozen shots of the sign as they passed it, a huge grin plastered on her overjoyed face. Her bright eyes hardly showed the annoyance or weariness of being trapped in a car for so long, and she tossed her dark hair behind her in an abnormally swift move in order to take several pictures of the back of the sign until it disappeared from view.

"Can you guys believe we're actually doing this? It's like a dream come true!" Jessica was bouncing bouncing up and down in her seat, a look of childlike innocence and distant thrill could be seen behind her glasses. She cast a glance around the pretty cramped vehicle and suppressed a sigh. She was beyond amazed to finally be taking this trip, but it was frustrating as hell to be stuck in an ancient, rusty old '89 Ford Bronco for nearly fourteen hours.

"We know," Daisha replied without bothering to turn her head. "You've reminded us every hour, on the hour." Her curly, dark brown hair was all that could be seen of Daisha, as she was keeping her forehead firmly pressed against the moist, cool glass. It was desperately humid, and though the windows were rolled down, nothing more than warm, sticky wind was being blown in. Daisha was just as excited about the others to be on this trip, but she didn't particularly enjoy the deadly weather of the Olympic Peninsula.

"Well," Jessica replied, rolling her eyes, "excuse me for being a little excited."

Daisha sighed. "A little excited? Jessica, a Chihuahua on cocaine is less excited than you."

"You know what Daisha?" Jessica glared at her. "I--"

"Shut up you guys!" Joe pointed out the front window at a vehicle stalled on the side of the road. "Look!" Already, Joe was slowing down, preparing to stop and help the car. Immediately, Sarah, Jessica, and Daisha knew why. The hapless truck pulled over with its panic lights flashing was old, rounded, and red. It seriously could've used a paint job, and it looked like it was ready to go to the great junk yard in the sky, but it was beautiful to the four tourists.

The Bronco came to a screeching halt in the gravel along the side of the highway. Joe opened his door and stepped out, letting the door slam behind him. All around him, the amount of green that was continually pressing down upon him was staggering. He wasn't used to so much of one color in one concentrated form, and he had to stop for a moment before continuing on to the red pickup truck.

Sarah basically catapulted herself out of the Bronco and was by Joe's side almost instantly. Daisha and Jessica were the last ones out and were a little behind the other two in the order of things. Joe reached the pickup's driver's side door and slowly peered inside. It was empty. After a split seconds hesitation, he reached for the door handle.

"Joe!" Jessica cried. "What are you doing? You can't just--"

Joe pulled the handle and it opened with a loud, sharp click. "Whoa..." he uttered. He stepped aside to allow the others to get a clear view inside the cab.

In the passengers seat, an orange hoody lay with several long rips and tears gashed into it. There was a dark stain across the front of it that looked sickeningly like blood. The steering wheel was torn completely from its usual spot on the dashboard, leaving a gaping hole where it should have been. The passengers side window was completely busted in, leaving millions of tiny shards of glass scattered around the cab of the truck.

"Oh... my..." Jessica began. "Does this mean...?"

"The stories are real?" Sarah stared in disbelief. "This is impossible."

"Come on guys," Joe stammered. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence..." But the other three stared at him so incredulously that that theory was quickly disregarded. Still, the four of them couldn't help but glance around them at the menacing forest that bared down on them, able to hide anyone or anything within its depths.

A sudden rustle in the foliage made the four of them jump at once, and Jessica even let out a tiny scream.

After a short, uncomfortable laugh, Daisha was the first to speak. "Okay, guys," she said, taking a breath. "We should probably..."

Her suggestion was cut short by a sudden foreign sound in the middle of this dense, natural woodland. It almost sounded like a muted growl. The four friends looked around, trying to discern the location of this strange, hidden noise, when another vehicle suddenly appeared around a corner, going dangerously fast for the curves it was taking. As soon as the small car came into view, Sarah's heart stopped in her chest, and she instinctively reached out and latched onto Joe's arm, digging her fingernails much too deeply.

Though the silver Volvo must have been going well over a hundred, the motor hardly made a purr much louder than it had before it could be seen. Water spewed up along either side of this speed demon from the recent rain, and Joe was in awe that it hadn't hydroplaned over the edge off the side of the road by now. Suddenly, it came to a rubber screeching halt directly in front of Bella's truck, and the door was opened before the engine even had time to silence itself after being shut off. Out of the car stepped what could only be described as an angel without wings.

It's one thing to read about true beauty in a book, but in order to fully comprehend the immense flawlessness of it, the pure, unadulterated, heart stopping effects it could have, you must witness it with your own eyes. The first thing they noticed was his skin was so smooth, so crystal clear, it was as if looking at the world most perfectly sculpted Greek statue, made from only the purest and most flawless marble. His hair was effortlessly brushed back, creating that perfect model look that Calvin Klein only dreams of. And his eyes... His eyes were the perfect golden ocher topaz that the four of them had so often dreamed and fantasized about staring into. Simply put, the magnificent creature that slipped out of that car so effortlessly and smoothly that it almost seemed unintentional was Edward Cullen, and neither Daisha, Jessica, Joe, or especially Sarah could speak in his presence.

From the time when the silver Volvo could be heard around the corner to when Edward approached the antique red truck took all of about six seconds. As he came to Bella's truck, he ignored the four tourists as if they weren't there at all. A low growl escaped from his throat when he gazed into the cab of the truck. In a flash, he had circled the truck and was standing in front of Sarah. The others instinctively flinched back, but Sarah was either too brave, or too petrified to move. Either way, the other three were impressed.

"What happened here?" Edwards honey smooth voice was forced out in short, violent bursts. Before anyone in the group could utter a single word, however, Edward's expression changed from anger to confusion, then wariness. "How do you..." he muttered, almost too low for the others to hear. Then, more loudly, "how do you know?"

The four friends could muster no words, instead looking back at Edward with curious but confused looks on their faces.

Edward decided to try a different tactic. "How," he growled ferociously through his bared teeth, "do you know my secret, my family's secret?"

"Well," Sarah began meekly, but before she could try to explain the impossible, Edward's expression changed once more, to one of understanding.

"Ah," he sighed. "You've been reading Stephenie's stories. I should have guessed. You're not the first ones to come through here looking for us, but you are the first to have actually succeeded."

Sarah opened her mouth as if to speak, but Edward surprised her once again by turning his back and returning to the truck, leaving the four friends alone once more. For several minutes, Edward explored every inch of Bella's truck, but to no avail. He could find nothing more than the scent of a werewolf. He even proceeded to explore into the dense foliage surrounding the highway for a short time, but he returned shortly afterward, a frustrated look on his face.

"There's nothing more to be done here," Edward said as he approached Sarah and the others once more. "I have the scent, though it disappears quickly once in the woods. Stupid dogs..." Edward had to close his eyes for a few moments until he regained control over his anger. After a few seconds of this, he opened his eyes. He seemed to be talking to the whole group, but his gaze was directed at Sarah. "Now what should I do with the four of you...?"\

"You could take us with you, to your family," Sarah blurted out a little too quickly. She instant blushed furiously, her normally pale skin fading into a deep crimson. From the way she was breathing, she looked as if she had just finished running a marathon instead of finishing a sentence.

Despite the hard anger in his eyes, Edward found he couldn't help but suppress a slight smile from playing onto his lips, even if it only did last for a second. "I suppose the four of you are involved n ow. If whoever has... Bella..." At the sound of her name, Edward began shaking and he was forced to close his eyes again. "If whoever has Bella comes back here for any reason, they'll have your scents as well." Edward cast a wary glance at the four teenagers. "This has never happened before. The others won't like it, but you can follow me to my home." He gave one last look at the four friends, then he turned and began heading back into his shiny Volvo.

"Um, Edwa.." Sarah began, but she lost her nerve halfway through her sentence.

Without turning around, Edward stopped in his tracks. His head cocked ever so slightly, and then his sweet voice rang out once more. "I don't see why not. Come on."

Sarah hastily followed Edward and got in the passengers seat as Edward started the motor with a low purr. Joe, Daisha, and Jessica merely stood in shock and awe at what they had just witnessed. Sarah was never the type to talk to a guy, especially one she liked... Especially one she obsessed over as much as Edward.

In disbelief, and a little jealousy, the three of them headed back into Joe's Bronco and began to follow the silver Volvo down the highway, cutting through the deep green sea.


	2. Introductions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 2 -- Introductions**

"This is so frustrating!" Joe groaned along with his car, which was driving at its maximum speed level. "Can't he slow down? I don't understand why it's entirely necessary for him to drive like a bat out of hell!"

"I don't think Jessica minds his driving," Jessica said coyly,l elbowing Joe in the ribs.

"Either way," Joe replied with a sharp tone in his voice, "this sucks. I can't keep up with him!"

True enough, the silver Volvo was so far ahead of Joe's old Bronco that it was barely visible, merely a tiny speck in the distance as it roared away.

"Oh look," Daisha said with an annoyingly smug tone in her voice. "Now the speck is gone."

"Oh my god!" Joe was peering through his dirty window, decorated by dead bugs and thick humidity. "Where did it go?"

"Just keep driving," Jessica urged. "Don't freak out."

Joe continued down the small highway, trying to convince his stubborn old vehicle to speed up, but no more was seen of the sleek silver car.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Jessica shrieked. "Look!"

Joe looked around, expecting to see a silver Volvo somewhere, but instead was greeted by a small gap in the thick foliage surrounding the road. If Jessica hadn't been looking for it, Joe probably would have missed it all together due to his frantic search for Edward's speedy car.

Cautiously, Joe directed his car onto the path and began driving down the bumpy trail.

* * *

The trees on either side of the path curved inwardly at the top to meet each other in the middle, creating an eerie feeling of a deep green tunnel surrounding them on all sides. If Sarah were able to move her eyes from Edward's face, she would have witnessed the beautiful miracle of nature that surrounded her. Instead, she was absorbed by the beautiful miracle of Edward.

The vampire cleared his throat, snapping Sarah out of her reverie and reminding her that Edward could read every thought going through her head. She blushed.

"So," Edward began. "I don't think it's completely necessary for me to remind you that my heart belongs completely and utterly to Bella, is it?"

Sarah's face turned an even deeper shade of red, if that was possible. She quickly began counting backwards from one hundred in her head in order to stop Edward from discovering any more embarrassing stray thoughts that might drift through her head unintentionally. "No..." Sarah hesitated. "I know that. I know how strong your love for her is. It's just that meeting you... It's like a dream come true. Or a fantasy, or something even better than that. I never thought it was even possible, let alone that it would happen to me. I mean, you have no idea how many girls out there are in love with you, even if they think you exist only in books. Speaking of which..." Sarah's expression showed Edward that she was unbearably curious about how it was possible for him to exist when. as far as Sarah knew, he was a character in a novel.

"Stephenie happened happened across my family some time ago, due to a series of very strange, and very unfortunate events. She even stayed with us for a short while, for her protection, much like the four of you. When she was preparing to leave, she asked if she could tell our story to the world, to let them know that we existed, and that we weren't dangerous. Carlisle, of course, refused.

"However, we all eventually came to an agreement. Stephenie would be allowed to publish our story for all to read, but it had to be under the pretense that it was purely fiction, and that no one would find out that we actually exist. Thus far, the plan has been working exceptionally well. Whenever Alice sees some new fans of the books coming up to look for us, we go into hiding for a day or so until they leave again. Normally, she would have seen you four coming, but when she knew something had happened to Bella, any visions of anything else were dismissed and ignored until more important priorities were taken care of."

Sarah sat in silence for a few seconds after Edward stopped talking, trying to take it all in. She still felt as if she was in some sort of amazing dream. She peered out the window for a bit, watching the beautiful scenery go by, unwilling to glance at Edward's face again for fear of setting her uncomfortable thoughts back into motion. A small chuckle coming from the drivers seat forced her to turn around.

"What?" she asked.

"Your friend, the boy, Joe," Edward explained. "He seems to be more nervous than anyone else about coming to my home."

"Why would he be?" Sarah asked, glancing back out the rear window, only to see that Joe's car was nowhere in sight. Were they that far behind?

"Well," Edward said through a suppressed smile that faded quickly, "it would seem that he has quite the infatuation with my brother."

"Oh!" Sarah said, laughing a little herself. "Yeah, that's an understatement."

"Hmmmm..." Edward thought idly. "Alice won't be pleased."

Sarah tried to suppress a giggle, but it came out anyway. "No, probably not!" Then, in a more serious tone, Sarah decided to take a chance. "So... What happened to Bella?"

Edward's reply was cold and harsh, as if he had shut off all emotion in his voice except for hatred and anger. "We don't know. All we know is that Bella was on her way to my home, and then Alice saw her disappear from her vision completely."

"Werewolves?" Sarah gasped in shock.

"Not any that we know," Edward replied coldly. "None of them would do anything to harm Bella. At least, as far as we know."

"So there's a werewolf that no one knows about?" Sarah was struggling to keep up with this new fantasy that she seemed to have fallen into. She wasn't used to discussing vampires and werewolves in realistic terms.

"If that was the case," Edward continued, sounding more calm now that he was thinking rationally instead of emotionally, "this wolf would have to be connected with the group plural. At least, that's what we're assuming. The only way this strange... dog... could avoid the group plural was if it wasn't a part of the Quiluete pack, or if it somehow managed to only be in wolf form when all the others were in human form. It's complicated, too much so for us to understand, and I don't think either option is very likely."

"But why would any of the wolves want to hurt Bella?" Sarah was becoming more and more flustered as the ride went on.

"We don't know," Edward shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Sarah was worried that he would run them off the narrow trail they were on, but he still turned his car perfectly with the curves as if he was watching the road. "We don't know much of anything, right now at least. Carlisle is getting in touch with Sam as we speak, but who knows how that's going to turn out this time."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked. "Don't the vampires and werewolves have some sort of a truce or something now?"

"We did," Edward sighed, "for a while. But when Jacob ran off and didn't come back, the pack blamed me for his disappearance, and things have been particularly rocky since then."

"Oh..." Sarah said thoughtfully. "I guess things are back to normal in the mythological world..." She laughed to herself. "There's an oxymoron I never thought I'd hear."

Edward's warm laugh filled the car, and he looked down at Sarah was his famous crooked smile on his face. "Thanks, Sarah," he said. "I needed that."

Sarah could feel her heart melting within her chest. There was an insatiable desire within her that she had never felt before. Then, as soon as it was there, it disappeared, and Edward was looking ahead at a large, white Victorian house. In front of the house stood Carlisle with Esme, both of them with unreadable expressions on their face. It seemed to be a mix of expectedness and worry, and Sarah felt a pang of guilt for intruding on the Cullen's miserable day. However, they didn't look surprised to see the strange guest in Edward's car, thanks to Alice of course, and they did try to look pleased for the unexpected newcomers. Emmett and Rosalie were both standing by the front door, curious glances directed towards Edward and his guest. Jasper was sitting on a porch swing, lazily allowing the small breeze to push it gently back and forth. At first, Sarah couldn't find Alice, but suddenly and unexpectedly, Alice appeared at Edwards window before the car had even completely stopped.

"I suppose that's him, driving the redneck truck badly in need of a washing, is it?" Alice's eyes burned with an emotion Sarah couldn't place. It wasn't until later that she realized it must have been fury.

"Alice, please," Edward said as he rolled down his window. "Nothing is going to..." Then his eyes got wide with some new revelation. "Alice, are you sure?"

"I haven't been wrong yet, have I?" she snarled.

"No, but things change, you know that," Edward said with a controlled tone in his voice.

"That's exactly what I intend to assure," Alice said with a venom in her tongue that made even Sarah flinch in her seat. Alice stalked towards the Bronco as it pulled in slowly to the front lawn of the beautiful white mansion. When she reached Joe's car, she wrenched the drivers side door open, and Joe was surprised that it didn't come completely off its hinges.

"Um," Joe said with a fearful expression in his eye. "I'm --"

"I'll be watching you," Alice spat, "with all three eyes. The future isn't set in stone." With that, she turned and glided back to the front porch where she sat next to Jasper, taking his hand territorially. Jasper looked at her curiously, but said nothing.

With a look of confusion, Joe, Jessica, and Daisha followed Edward and Sarah up to the front porch.

"Hello," Carlisle said in a calm but demanding tone. "Welcome to our home. I would bother with introductions, but I think it's safe to assume that you already know each of us." He had a smile on his face, though the worry for Bella reflected in his eyes.

"This is Sarah," Edward introduced, "and Joe, Jessica, and Daisha."

"Well, let's all not stand around outside," Esma urged as she opened the door. "It looks like it may rain soon, and we have much to discuss."


	3. Jealousy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 3 -- Jealousy**

It was eerily similar to waking into the most fantastic dream come true. Here was the Cullen home, just as Stephenie Meyer had transcribed it onto paper so perfectly. There was even the beautiful grand piano standing regally against the wall. Upon spotting it, Sarah's eyes brightened up and she thought of hearing Bella's Lullaby. Of course, Edward would be playing it for her instead of Bella, and it would be the most beautiful song she had ever heard. A small cough brought Sarah back down to reality, and she looked around the room to find Edward staring pointedly at a fixed spot on the wall, forcing himself to look nowhere else. A sharp pang of guilt flooded through Sarah, and she tried to blush.

"Well," Emmett boomed as he stepped into the large, empty living area. "Did you find anything Edward?"

"Yes," Edward replied, forcibly breaking off his death stare with the wall, "but not much. It was definitely a werewolf, from the looks of things, a violent one. One that apparently has a score to settle with Bella. They didn't want her dead though, whoever it was. She was alive when she was drug from the truck."

Carlisle stepped forward. "The only information I was able to gather from Sam was that no one in his pack has been off the reservation lately. He wouldn't tell me anything other than that, but he assured me that no one that he knows would want to hurt Bella."

"What about Jacob?" Edward asked, turning to face the doctor. "Has anyone heard him in the group plural lately?"

"No," Carlisle sighed, "no one's heard from him since he left."

"What does that mean?" Jessica's voice was barely audible to the humans in the room, but the vampires had no trouble hearing her.

"Well," Carlisle said patiently, turning towards the newcomer, "either he's removed himself from his wolf form and hasn't phased back since he ran away, or... he's dead."

Jessica's entire body froze up, and her face went numb. She refused to believe that after all these years of dreaming of Jacob, her one chance to finally meet him has arrived, only to discover that now he's... No, she wouldn't admit it.

"So," Esme said calmly, intertwining her fingers. Her love seemed to radiate from her. It was impossible to look upon her and not want to smile. "There doesn't seem to be much we can do now. Bella's captor will be long gone by now. All we can do is hope for her. Hope and pray. But when they decide to make another appearance - and they will - we'll be ready for them. Now," she said, turning to the four humans. "I'll take you up to your room if you'll please follow me." Esme smiled and began to walk up the stairs. Daisha, Sarah, and Jessica began to follow her, with Joe in the rear. Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to come face to face with such astonishing beauty that it was almost unbearable to see at such a close distance.

"You must know this already," she said, "but I'm Rosalie."

"Hi... um..." Joe stammered, both in shock and awe. "I'm Joe..."

"I know," Rosalie smiled, her golden eyes flashing. "I was wondering if I might have a word with you."

"Um... sure?" Joe watched as Rosalie too began to ascend the stairs, and he robotically followed. She lead him up the stairs and down a wide hallway, and around a corner. Rosalie stepped up to a dark wood door and opened it quickly as she glided inside. Joe was forced to enter slowly, the multitude of bright colors dampening his vision at first.

Inside Rosalie's room, the walls were a delicate, deep red. You could hardly see it, however, due to the immense amount of shelves containing make up hair care products, and full length mirrors positioned perfectly to reflect every side of Rosalie's disturbingly perfect beauty. With the grace and demeanor of a top scale model, Rosalie catwalked to a large, comfortable looking beige sofa and sat down. She gestured to Joe to sit next to her, and he complied, still awed and silent.

"So," Rosalie began, a small smile stretching her strong lips, "I have a few questions for you that could save your life."

Joe sat there for a few seconds, letting her message sink in. "Save my life?" he finally managed to let escape.

"Well, you are gay, right?" Rosalie's questions threw Joe off for a second, and he had to stop for a second before replying.

"Well, yeah, but --"

"Oh, don't worry," she assured him, patting his thigh, her luxuriously painted fingernails clicking against each other. "None of us care about that. After you've lived as long as we have, you learn how unimportant things like that are to determining a persons quality."

"Okay," Joe said slowly, "but why --"

"You're interested in Jasper, aren't you?" Rosalie's smile still stayed on her face, growing even wider before Joe's eyes.

"How did you know that?" Joe asked quickly.

"It's so obvious," Rosalie responded with a small laugh. "The way you were staring at him, and as if Alice's reaction to you wasn't obvious enough. She's never shown such hatred towards someone she doesn't even know before."

Joe would have expected Rosalie to be angry with him in defense of her sister, but on the contrary, she seemed absolutely pleased by the outcome of things.

"Why was she so mean to me?" Joe asked with a little bit of a pout in his voice. "She couldn't have known that I've been obsessed with Jasper ever since Twilight, I mean, how would she?"

"Oh, it's not a simple crush that Alice is worried about..." Rosalie's smile grew larger as she waited for Joe to understand what she was trying to tell him.

"I don't get..." Suddenly, something occurred to Joe, and Alice's reason for being so hostile towards him suddenly made sense. "Did Alice see something?" Joe was whispering now, looking directly into Rosalie's dark golden eyes.

Rosalie clasped her hands together. "Yes! Exactly!"

"So," Joe hesitated, trying to figure out what this meant. "Why are you telling me this?"

Rosalie laughed, her golden curls bouncing lightly up and down. "Just a little quick revenge," she assured Joe. "About seventy five years ago, when we were living in Denali, once of the sisters up there, Irina, found Emmett to be... attractive. Alice thought it would be humorous to encourage this relationship that Irina longed for so much. I don't think she meant any harm of it, surely no one thought Irina would take what Alice said so seriously. After all, she would be competing with me." At that, Rosalie laughed, sending her light curls cascading around her perfect face. Joe forced himself to laugh along with her. "Well, due to all of Alice's encouragement, Irina got a little too comfortable with Emmett one night." Rosalie paused for a small moment, her eyes flashing dangerously as she remembered that night. "I won't go into all the details," she assured, "but I will say that I'm going to enjoy watching how this all plays out in the end. I've never seen anything from Jasper that would indicate a preference for men, but he has lived a checkered past, and he keeps his emotions well guarded, even from Alice. I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to him than any of us know."

The two of them sat in silence for a few moments, Rosalie contemplating what could happen, and Joe attempting to figure out what all this meant. After a few minutes of this, Joe stood. "I think... I'm going to go to bed now."

"Alright," Rosalie said, smiling up at him. "Just remember one thing. Alive cares about Jasper more than anyone else in the world. While her vision saw you and Jasper together, she'll be doing everything in her power to stop it from coming true, and she can have quite a mean streak. Just be careful before you try anything too irrational."

"I'll keep that in mind," Joe assured her as he headed towards the door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Rosalie replied as she stretched out on the sofa.

As Joe shut Rosalie's door behind him, he realized that heh ad no idea where he was supposed to be going. He turned around a corner and headed for the first door he came to. He raised his fist to knock lightly on it, then changed his mind. He didn't want to interrupt anyone. Instead, he put his ear to the door to see who was inside.

"Down the hall, fourth door on the left," Edward's voice rang out from the room. Joe jumped back, his heart racing a mile a minute. He wasn't expecting that.

"Oh," Joe said, trying not to laugh in his nervousness. "Thanks." He turned and headed down the wide hallway, glancing at each of the doors on his left, counting upwards. When he reached the fourth one, he grabbed the doorknob and twisted, not thinking to knock this time. He began to walk in, then stopped in horror and amazement. Joe could feel the color draining out of his face as he realized where he was. Across the room, sitting on the edge of a large, four poster bed, Jasper sat with a book clutched in his hand. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his golden eyes looked up from the book he was reading to Joe's face instantaneously.

"Oh, um... I think... Edward... um... joke... wow..." Joe's face turned bright red, and he could feel his hands start shaking. From down the hall, a loud chuckle could be heard from Edward's room.

Then, as if some mist that had been in Joe's mind suddenly dissipated, leaving only clarity and warmth, his worry and anxiousness faded from his mind. He became irresolutely calm, and a smile even crept up to Joe's face. He felt so at ease, as if this was the most natural place to be in the world.

"Joe, isn't it?" Jasper stood, though obviously keeping his distance from the human. "To what do I owe this late night intrusion?"

Joe smiled back at him, knowing that his smile wasn't anywhere near as perfect as Jaspers were, with his brilliantly white, prefect teeth, and the corners of his eyes crinkling up just right... "Edward though it would be funny to send me to your room I guess," Joe laughed quietly.

Jasper cocked his head. "And why would..." He paused, and suddenly, Joe's anguish and embarrassment rushed back into him. "Uh oh," Jasper muttered.

"Is there any particular reason you're in my husband's room in the middle of the night?" A voice in Joe's ear caused him to stand petrified, unable to move. Alice was standing two inches from Joe. She may have been a foot shorter than him, but she made Joe cower in front of her.

"I, uh... got lost," Joe muttered almost incoherently.

She stared at him for a few seconds, then decided that he was telling the truth. "Your room is across the hall."

Without another word, Joe skirted out of Jasper's room and across the hall, opening the door and shutting it quickly. The room he was in now was dark, but he could hear the sounds of sleeping breathing. Sighing, Joe found an empty spot on the floor and curled up under a spare blanket left out for him. He knew he shouldn't be thinking of Jasper, but he couldn't help it. He wondered if there was anything else he could do to get Jasper alone. Then, as he began plotting, he slipped into unconsciousness, the long exhausting drive from yesterday catching up with him.

Two bodies away, Jessica continued to fake her sleep. She had to figure out some way to find Jacob. She had to. This thought plagued her mind all night, and she found herself unable to sleep. The next morning, she pretended to wake up with the rest of her friends, and walked out of the room, yawning.


	4. Lost

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 4 -- Lost**

Downstairs, Esme was at the stove frying something that smelled deliciously like bacon. She turned upon hearing the footsteps of the four teenagers tromping sleepily down the stairs.

"Good morning," Esme smiled sweetly at them as they slowly approached her, confusion breaking through the sleep in their eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you," Sarah stretched and yawned.

"Is that all for us?" Daisha asked, pointing to a table standing against a far wall. It was piled high with pancakes, eggs, toast, juice, omelettes, cereal, and anything else imaginable that could be served for breakfast.

"Yes," Esme replied as she gracefully slid the bacon into the final empty spot on the entire table, the far corner. "I hope you enjoy it. I'm afraid I've been very out of practice lately, what with no one to cook for in so long. It's one of the things I miss most about being human. Bella so rarely ate here, and it seemed silly to make an entire meal for one person, but with four of you, I thought it would be the perfect excuse to dust off the stove last night." She beamed down at the four kids who were still staring wide eyed at the hefty meal provided for them.

"Well," Daisha said, stifling a yawn as she eyed the table, "there's enough for Joe, but what are the rest of us going to eat?"

Everyone laughed but Joe, who was already pulling bacon onto his plate.

When everyone had their plates full, they moved into the living area to eat. Esme followed and gracefully slid into a large red plush recliner. The four humans moved hastily to claim the sofa.

"So," Jessica spoke between bites, "where is everyone?"

"Carlisle is at work," Esme said dreamily as she stared at the four teens, eating away. "Emmett and Rosalie are with Jasper moving Bella's truck. They should be back soon with it. Edward is speaking with Charlie about Bella's disappearance. I believe he's telling him that she ran away for a while to blow off some steam. I don't think it would be too difficult to believe. I've never seen Bella so stressed in all the time I've known her. She and Edward had been fighting a lot lately you know. We think it's about her... initiation... into our family."

"You mean becoming a vampire?" Daisha's fork clinked down on her now empty plate as she set on the floor at her feet.

Esme blushed. "No, I've never seen anyone so intent on ending their own life as Bella is. The fighting it mostly just centered on the wedding."

"When is it supposed to be?" Sarah's eyes grew wider.

"It was originally set for the day after tomorrow, but what with recent events..." Esme's voice trailed off.

"Have you guys gotten any closer to figuring it out?" Sarah asked hopefully, though she wasn't sure what she was hopeful about.

"No, not really," Esme sighed deeply. The sadness she felt for the loss of Bella seemed to radiate from her. "All we know is that a wolf broke into Bella's truck and kidnaped her, apparently harming her in the process."

"And the wold isn't part of the Quileute tribe?" Jessica asked, now immersed in the conversation.

"It would appear that way," Esme hung her head.

"Either that, or Sam was lying," Joe crossed his arms.

"We have no reason to suspect foul play," Esme said, rising fluidly from her chair. "I hate to end all this, but I believe Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie are returning with the truck, and I'm supposed to help them search it for anything Edward may have missed. Please, feel free to explore our land. I advise against going into the woods, however. They're very expansive and labyrinthine. Not to mention a rogue wolf is presumably out there somewhere."

"Thanks," Joe said, standing as well. Esme exited through the front door and let it close behind her. The four teenagers looked at each other for a moment before speaking.

"What are you guys gonna do?" Daisha asked.

"I think I'm going outside for a little bit," Sarah said, rising to her feet.

"I'm gonna go out too, but I think I just wanna be alone for a while," Jessica said with a yawn.

"I kind of want to talk to Alice," Joe said with an internal shudder, "but Esme never said where she was."

"Well," Daisha said, moving towards the door, "I'm going with Sarah."

"Alright," Joe said as he headed towards the staircase, "I'll see you guys later." The other three exited the house, leaving Joe alone.

Once outside, Daisha and Sarah turned left towards a small stream, and Jessica headed to the right towards nothing in particular.

This sucks, Jessica thought. How the hell am I supposed to be happy in Forks without Jacob? Everyone else got to meet their favorite guy. Sarah with Edward, Joe with Jasper, and Daisha didn't really favor anyone in particular, so she didn't count. Jessica sighed, and let her mind wander. It was so much easier than anything else when running off of no sleep. Her thoughts strayed to what Esme had said about the woods. It's so easy to get lost in there... not to mention a wolf...

Suddenly, Jessica stopped. A wolf in the woods by the Cullen house? It could be Jacob! Sure Jacob wouldn't have really gone that far, he would've stayed around and watched Bella from afar. Of course, little facts like the wolf kidnaping Bella didn't register in Jessica's sleepless brain. She was sure it was Jacob. And there was no reason to worry about being lost in the woods. Once she found Jacob, he could lead them both out! It was a perfect plan.

Jessica glanced around to make sure no one was watching her. The surrounding area was completely silent, only the sound of a small breeze fluttering by her ears could be heard. Above, the dark, cloudy sky glowered at Jessica ominously, as if threatening to open up on her if she were to follow through with her insane plan. Ignoring the guilt she felt for betraying Esme's trust, Jessica ran for the thick line of trees a few football field lengths away from where she stood. As soon as she was deep enough in that she could no longer see the house behind her, she allowed herself to stop. Jessica laughed out loud. She had never felt so free as she did now, the cool breeze rustling her hair, the soft smell of wood and wet leaves permeating the thick, humid air. Everything around her was the perfect blend of browns and greens. Looking above, now that she was in the woods, the sky didn't look so threatening as before. Actually, it almost seemed pleasant. The absent sun gave Jessica the feeling that she was the only one on earth; just her... and Jacob.

Jessica continued deeper into the woods, occasionally letting out a bleary yawn, sometimes accompanied by a stretch. Every once in a while, she would yell out Jacob's name at the top of her lungs, and every time she did, she expected him to peek out from behind a tree with his goofy smile as if he had been expecting her.

After a while, Jessica reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone to see what time it was. She fumbled around for a few seconds before a realization dawned on her - her pockets were empty. Frantically, she patted around all of her other pockets, only to come to the same solution with each of them as well.

"Damn..." she muttered to herself. She must have left it at the house. With another long yawn, Jessica decided that it was too late to worry about it now.

She stopped for a moment, sitting on the moist green ground to lean up against a tree. She layed her head back and closed her eyes, feeling the cool breeze drift over her, the worlds softest blanket. Jessica's half-thoughts drifted to Jacob, and she knew she should get up and continue looking for him. Otherwise there would be no way out of this stupid forest. A little voice in the back of her mind was screaming for her to go back home, but a mixture of exhaustion and intoxicating thoughts of Jacob Black sent Jessica spiraling into unconsciousness as she welcomed sleep.

* * *

"It isn't fair," Sarah moped as she kicked a stray rock through the luscious green grass as she and Daisha walked along the edge of a small stream that seemed to cut through the Cullen's land. "Why can't Edward be in love with me?"

"Well," Daisha said, trying to think of the right thing to say, "maybe he will be... eventually. You have to give it time, he does love Bella, and now she's missing and in danger, so..." Daisha let her voice trail off, hoping Sarah would drop the subject.

"But still..." Sarah was obviously keen to be comforted some more, so Daisha let out an internal sigh and tried to do what was right for her friend.

"Come on Sarah," Daisha pushed, "we've all seen the way Edward looks at you. He does have SOMETHING for you."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked hastily. "How does he look at me?"

"Sort of like..." Daisha struggled to find the right words that fit Edward's expression when he had been staring at Sarah the night before. "It's like you're a book that he doesn't want to put down. Like he just wants to keep on reading, even though he knows he can't right now. It's like you intrigue him, but in a good way."

Sarah was silent for a few minutes, and then she slowly spoke again. "So... I think I get what you're saying."

Daisha sighed and smiled. "Good. I figured if I somehow started talking about books you'd understand."

Sarah laughed. "Hey!" She pushed Daisha playfully, and the two of them were immediately locked in a deadly shoving match. Each of their occasional shrieks or laughs could be heard almost all the way to the house. Sarah grabbed ahold of Daisha's white t-shirt by the sleeve and began swinging her around. Suddenly, a loud ripping sound split the air and Daisha toppled backward. Her expression was one of mixed shock and mid-laugh. Sarah, holding the left side of Daisha's shirt, tried not to laugh as Daisha toppled backward and fell with a splash into the stream.

When Daisha was finally able to withdraw herself form the water, Sarah was laughing so hard she almost fell down herself. Daisha just grinned sheepishly, standing there in a shredded, see through shirt, wearing her favorite dark blue bra underneath. Daisha had to bite down on the insides of her cheeks in order to keep herself from joining Sarah in laughing out loud. Out of nowhere, Daisha heard voices coming from somewhere.

"Dude, I can't believe Angela dumped me..."

"Sarah," Daisha hissed. "Shut up!"

Sarah stopped laughing at once and stood up straight. "Who's that?" she whispered.

Daisha simply shrugged and listened for the voices again.

"Yeah, dude, I know. It sucks..."

The voices were coming from around the house, not too far from where Daisha and Sarah stood. Daisha turned to motion for Sarah to follow her into the edge of the woods to hide from the voices, but Sarah was nowhere to be found. "Sarah?" Daisha hissed, but no response was elicited from her suddenly absent friend.

Suddenly, from around the corner of the house came the source of the voices. Three boys, all of which were definitely above average in the looks department, stopped in their tracks at the sight of Daisha.

Inside, Daisha burned with embarrassment and shyness, but she refused to let that side of her show. "Hi!" she blurted out loudly, heading towards the three of them. "I'm Daisha!"

"Um..." the boy in the middle whose spiky blonde hair matched his puppy dog cute looks spoke up first. "I'm Mike. Newton. These are my friends Tyler Crowley," Mike said, gesturing to the boy on his left, "and Ben Cheney." Tyler had darker hair, and looked more muscular than the other two. When he was in introduced, he briefly looked down to Daisha's exposed body and blushed slightly. Ben was the tallest of the three and wore glasses, but they worked on him and helped to make him appear more distinguished than the other three. Ben just waved at Daisha, and she had the feeling that this wasn't the first time that he had seen a girl in this state of undress.

"Well, hi to all three of you," Daisha said with a sly smile. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Uh, well..." Tyler started.

"We're looking for Bella," Mike interrupted, and Tyler shot him a dirty look.

"Well, I uh..." Daisha paused for a second, not sure what she was supposed to reveal. "I... I haven't seen her in a while. I don't know where she is."

"That's okay," Ben took over, an eager look in his eye. Daisha guessed that this was the one who had recently been dumped by Angela. Not being quite the avid Twilight reader that her other three friends were, Daisha wasn't exactly able to place these three boys with their respective roles in the novels. Books were the farthest thing from her mind at the moment though, and she smiled as Ben continued. "Since we can't seem to be able to find Bella anywhere, do you want to hang out instead?"

Daisha let her typical instincts take over, and she put her hand on her hip and pushed her exposed chest out slightly. "I don't know... What are we gonna be doing?"

"Getting Pizza," Tyler shot out before the other two could react. "Then watching a movie in Port Angeles."

The three boys looked hopeful, and Daisha wanted to laugh. "Well... okay. Just let me go change and I'll be out in a few.

"Alright," Mike said with a huge smile on his boyish face, "I'm parked out front. I'll meet you there when you're ready?"

"Great," Daisha smiled and brushed by the boys, heading up to the house.

* * *

"Alice?" Joe wandered through the upstairs of the Cullen house. He had no idea where he would find her. Not wanting to go barging through every room of the house, Joe decided to try the room Jasper was in last night. After all, they were married. It only made sense that they shared a room. Cautiously, Joe pushed open the door that Edward had jokingly led him into last night.

"Alice?" Joe stepped inside the room. It wasn't as large as Rosalie's, or as lavishly decorated. The walls were a dark blue, almost black, and a black leather sofa stood against the wall to his left, a few feet from the bed Joe had seen Jasper in last night. One wall, the one to Joe's right, was dedicated to nothing but books, more books than the library back home had, he guessed. The far wall was made entirely of glass, and a spectacular view was laid out in front of him. Crossing the room, Joe could see a winding stream cutting through the grassy field. Joe turned towards the sofa, and he saw a red t-shirt laying on the arm of it. He picked it up gently and was surprised by how cold it was, compared to the warmth of the rest of the house. It was as if touching a stone statue in the middle of a dark winters night, and it gave Joe chills. He set it back down where he found it and walked over to the bookshelf. Scanning the titles, a few jumped out at him as books that he's read before, or books that he's been dying to get his hands on. With an internal laugh, he brushed his finger against the spine of Twilight. He headed back to the recliner, but stopped when he noticed a book lying on the bed. When he picked it up, he was surprised to see a very worn copy of Crime and Punishment by Fyador Dostoyevsky. It was dog eared to show Jasper's current page, and Joe smiled at the familiar title. The tiniest of coughs came from behind Joe, and he jumped, dropping the book back onto the bed. He spun around, his heart thudding, only to see a very tiny Alice leaning smugly against the door frame. Her pointed features showed distaste in every angle, but she managed to speak in even tones.

"There I was, sitting in my room, listening to music, minding my own business, when all of a sudden I see you and I having a little talk in Jasper's room." Alice began to advance into the doorway and Joe backed up instinctively. "So I think to myself, surely he's not foolish enough to go back into Jasper's room. Yet, here you are." Alice crossed her arms and plopped daintily onto the sofa. "Have a seat."

Joe hastily sat down, not wanting to disobey her. "So..." Joe tried unsuccessfully to look anywhere else in the room but at Alice. "In your vision, what were we talking about?"

She sighed. "A little of this, a little of that."

"Why do you..." Joe was hesitant to speak up. "I mean... Is Jasper gay or something?"

Alice gasped. "No!" Her snarl minced her word into a verbal attack.

"Then why are you so worried about this vision?" Joe had to raise his voice to be heard over Alice's animalistic sounds, and it suddenly occurred to him that if she were to lose control, no one would be around to save him. "It can't come true unless he's willing."

Slowly, Alice regained her composure, and she glared at Joe with enough anger that he was almost more afraid of her now than he was when she was growling. "Look... Jasper is very... private. Even from me. When we first met, at the bar so long ago, all I knew was that I saw us together. And he took my word for it that that's how it was supposed to be. And over the years, my vision has, as usual, come true, and we love each other. But... I know Jasper loves me, and I love him, it's just that sometimes I get the feeling that he doesn't love me in the right way. As if I was his sister. Sometimes." She put emphasis on the last word and glared at Joe again, as if daring him to speak. "Never before had I ever had a vision that involved him with someone else, and I don't see why, or how it's happening now. All I know is that my vision still hasn't changed. But it will. I won't let you take him." Alice's eyes locked with Joe's for a split second, and instead of the anger Joe had expected to see, they were filled with sadness, and even a hint of fear. "I need him..."

Alice was finished. She rose and exited the room, leaving Joe alone on the sofa he had always dreamt of sitting on, but he had never felt so guilty for achieving his dreams.

* * *

"Dude, I can't believe Angela dumped me..."

Sarah didn't hear the voices at first because she was laughing so hard, but when Daisha told her to shut up, she obeyed. Suddenly, she heard another boy say something, but Sarah didn't wait around to hear what it was he had said. She was already running around to the back of the house. When she got to a spot where she couldn't be seen, she turned around and opened her mouth to whisper to Daisha, but Daisha wasn't there.

"Daisha?" Sarah whispered. "Where are you?" Sarah crept back around the house and peeked around the corner. There was Daisha, chatting up three cute boys. One of them Sarah was able to immediately peg as Mike Newton, but the other two she couldn't quite put names on. She was about to head back out to Daisha when a soft voice behind her made her jump.

"What are you doing back here?"

Sarah spun around and was shocked to find herself face to face with the man of her dreams. "Um... nothing?" She began to giggle, then stopped almost immediately. She wondered if Edward thought she was weird. He was looking at her with a perplexed expression. What was it Daisha had said? A book that he wanted to finish... Sarah smiled.

"Was it really necessary," Edward began with a teasing smile, "to rip up her clothes and throw her into a stream?"

"Shut up," Sarah looked away, blushing. "It was an accident."

"Well," his smile grew wider, "Mike, Tyler, and Ben certainly seem to be enjoying your handiwork."

Sarah just laughed and looked back up at him.

He held out his hand. "Walk with me?"

Hesitantly and almost fearful, Sarah took his hand in hers. It was strangely similar to holding hands with a marble statue in the middle of winter. His hand was freezing in hers, and she could feel his ice cold fingers intertwined with hers, sending chills up her spine. Sarah loved it.

They walked in silence for a time, hand in hand, until Edward finally spoke. "Daisha was wrong."

"Huh?" Sarah stared up at him quizzically.

"You're not like a book I want to finish."

"Oh." Sarah's head hung low, and she tried to force a smile on her face anyway. "Well, that's... nice I guess."

Edward's face didn't change. "You're like a book I haven't even begun to read yet. I desperately want to read it, to understand it completely, inside and out, but I don't seem to be able to. It's driving me insane though."

Sarah didn't notice she was holding her breath until she let it out in one big whoosh.

"You're not like most girls," Edward continued. "I can still read your mind, your every thought, but something about you still remains a mystery. It's the most peculiar thing I've ever encountered, besides..." Edward stopped, and Sarah knew why. Bella was the last topic that either of them wanted to discuss at the moment, and Sarah looked around for a change of topic before it got dangerous. It shocked her to discover that they were standing on a small wooden bridge that crossed the gentle stream she and Daisha had found earlier. A beautiful awning covered it, and growing on it were some of the biggest, most luscious red roses Sarah had ever seen. The green vines wrapped all around the awning, stretching through and around it, creating an effective green and red roof above their heads. The roses were sparsely spaced, but seemed to be perfectly bloomed. Even though she looked for them, Sarah couldn't see a single thorn on the roses anywhere. For a few moments, she marveled at the sheer beauty of this spot, and then she seemed to come back into reality, remembering that she wasn't alone.

"Wow..." she muttered out loud. "What is this?"

Before Edward could answer, however, it began to rain. Big, heavy drops that splattered the ground and turned everything three shades darker. Sarah squinted her eyes, preparing to be soaked, but was immensely surprised to find that the roses above provided enough shelter to keep any rain from entering onto the small bridge.

"It's a good thing we're under here," Edward said, smiling.

"Yeah," Sarah sighed. The effect of the rain and the bridge together made the scene almost magical. Her heart was thudding in her chest, until she remembered that Edward could read everyone of her thoughts. With a silent crash, her magical mood crashed and dissipated at Edward's next sentence.

"This is where the wedding was supposed to take place," Edward's smile was now an unmistakable frown.

"I'm... sorry," she said, unable to think of any other way to comfort the perfect angel.

"Now I don't know if I'll ever see her again," Edward continued as if Sarah hadn't said anything at all. "I'm sorry," he said looking down at her. "I know that this isn't what you would like to hear, but there doesn't seem to be anyone else that I could talk to like I can to you. I've only known you for a day, and yet I seem to be able to open up to you as if you were a part of my family already. With Bella gone, it's been so difficult to get through each day without completely giving up all hope. And yet..." He paused, looking down at Sarah with a strange, unreadable expression on his face. "When I'm around you, I just can't seem to feel as sad."

Sarah looked up at him, disbelieving in what he was saying, and unable to fathom how his face had gotten so close to hers. Had it always been that close? His breath was just as sweet as Stephenie Meyer had described it, and it seemed to have the same, mind muddling effects on Sarah as it did Bella. Sarah breathed it in deeply, not wanting this moment to ever end. She peered up into his deep, golden eyes, and saw him looking directly back at her. Even she could hear her heart thumping wildly in her chest, and she willed it to slow down. Of course, it didn't work, and if she was embarrassed about it, Edward's dazzling effects soon made her forget about it.

There was the smallest pause, less than a second, where Edward's eyes revealed how unsure, how afraid, how torn apart he was at this very moment. But before Sarah could react to it, Edward's topaz eyes had closed, and his perfect, stone face inched closer to hers. His head moved ever so slightly to the side, and Sarah felt his nose brush against hers. She inhaled sharply, trying to absorb as much of his scent before she woke up from this most magical, most wonderful of dreams, but that moment never came. Instead, she felt his frozen, marble lips brush ever so slightly against her own, and she closed her eyes and gave in.

* * *

"Shit," Jessica picked herself up off the dirty, muddy ground and looked around. She had no idea how long she had been asleep for. She only knew two things. It was raining, and it was getting dark.

Jessica looked around for some sort of sign describing where she was, but she was completely lost. Blindly, she began running in a random direction. She ran for a long time in one direction, hoping it was the right one. She ran until her foot caught a loose root and she was sent flying face first into the mud.

Slowly rising to her feet, she began shivering. She was planning on running againwhen, through the heavy pattering of the rain, she could hear a twig snap. She spun around, the mud flying off her face. She peered through the rain and the mist rising up from the ground. It was probably just a rabbit, or a fox...

Then, directly in front of her, less then ten feet away, a pair of eyes shone through the darkness of a shadow of two trees. They very clearly belonged to an animal of some sort, but they were much to high to belong to anything peaceful. They seemed to be above even Jessica's eye level!

Jessica's heart skipped a beat. Could her dream really be coming true right in the middle of this apparent nightmare?

The animal stepped forward, and Jessica took an instinctive step back. It was a huge wolf, towering above her head, and glaring down at her.

"Jacob?" She took a step forward, ready to touch his reddish brown shaggy fur, but then something made her stop mid-stride. Something was wrong. In the wolf's eyes, there wasn't friendliness, there was anger and hunger. As it took another step forward, the wolf stepped into a patch of moonlight, and Jessica's hand snatched back and her scream was caught in her throat. This wolf was much, much bigger than Jacob was supposed to be. Its teeth were bared, its lips pulled tightly over them. Blood was matted in the fur around its mouth, still fresh and red. A deep, low growl escaped from its jaws, dripping with saliva. Its fur was jet black, and short, almost like billions of tiny needles all over its body. It had scars etched all over it, and it was the most fearful, gruesome sight Jessica had ever withheld.

There was an earsplitting roar, and it lunged at its prey.


	5. First Sight

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 5 -- First Sight**

Jessica's shrill scream was lost in the ravenous roar of the wolf as it launched itself through the wet air towards her. Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground with an unexpected falter in her scream. The wolf flew mere inches above her head and landed gruffly behind her. Jessica didn't bother turning around to see how close it was, she just forced her jelly like legs to hold her weight and began sprinting away. She could hear a rough growl, and then heavy footsteps as it began advancing on her once more. With an uneasy feeling in her stomach, Jessica realized that she was already tired from running before, and she was beginning to run out of breath. A sharp pain in her side alerted her to the immensity of her situation, but she refused to slow. The footsteps behind her sounded closer with every one, and Jessica was sure that in just a few seconds she would feel the sharp claws digging into her flesh. She could feel hot breath on her neck as the huge monster panted towards her. Facing the grim reality of her fate, Jessica closed her eyes and prepared herself for the immense pain that was sure to come.

Suddenly, however, instead of a sharp, biting pain, there was an entirely different pain. From a direction she was expecting, to her left, she felt something slam into her with immensity and forcefulness. She landed with an uneasy thud in the muddy ground, feeling the rain splattering on her face. She spun around as she tried to get up, but her oxygen deprived muscles seemed to shriek in pain at the effort, and she merely fell down again. Instead, she managed to roll over and lean up on one arm as she tried to see what it was that knocked her over.

A deafening crack distracted her though, and she looked around to try to find where it came from. It sounded almost like lightning, but a large, black shadow that suddenly encompassed her told her it was something completely different. Something had caused an enormous tree trunk to snap in half, and the top part of it was toppling directly towards Jessica. She opened her mouth in a grimacing silent scream, but before she could even react to the new danger, it landed on top of her left leg with a sickening crunch. The pain was unbearable. She wasn't even able to scream it was so painful, the fiery jolts that were sent up her leg almost completely paralyzed her with agony. She forced her hands up to attempt to roll it off of her, but it was no use. It was far too heavy. Jessica could feel the hot tears streaming down her face, and she tried to look up and see what had caused it, but the trunk disabled any view of what was going on in front of her that she might have.

Fighting back the pain, Jessica could hear that it now sounded like there were two wolves instead of just one, and the new realization brought her new happiness. She waited in hope for the wolves to attack her now; she would relish anything that would just make this pain end. As she laid her head back on the soaking, muddy ground, she squinted her eyes shut and bit down hard on her tongue, trying anything to brace against the throbbing, squelching, shooting pain.

Suddenly, an earsplitting whine distracted her slightly, and she heard footsteps of a wolf running away. Running away? That didn't seem right... Maybe they were fighting over who got first dibs? That seemed likely. Jessica laid there, anxiously waiting for her pain to be ripped away from her with her life. Sure enough, heavy patting of paws on the wed land could be heard over the cascading rain, and Jessica waited impatiently for the relief. Finally, the face of a large wolf peered around the tree trunk towards her, and all the pain immediately went away, merely an echo in the back of her mind.

This new wolf had reddish brown fur, much shaggier than the great black wolf that had chased her earlier. It's russet coat looked warm and inviting, and Jessica wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch it, even with it being matted down by the heavy rainfall. The thing about the new wolf that held her attention so captive though was his eyes. Inside of them, they reflected every inch of emotional turmoil this wolf was going through. His eyes held the most dedicated devotion, the most loving admiration Jessica had every seen before, and it thrilled her to the core to witness it. She was sure that her eyes must have held the same emotions. The wolf took another step towards her, and Jessica could smell his breath, sweet and comforting, like chocolate or warm milk. He touched his wet nose against her chilled, clammy forehead, and she was amazed at how warm it was. It seemed to radiate to her, making her feel almost good again, except for the dull pain in the very back recesses of her mind.

The wolf backed away suddenly, putting its head against the fallen tree. It paused hesitantly, as if giving Jessica ample warning to brace herself. She tried to tense her muscles so as to be ready for whatever would happen, but it was still a shock when the wolf shoved with all its might, sending the trunk flying through the air, crashing into another tree with a resounding smash.

Instantly, the pain rushed back into her, flooding all of her senses. It was so much worse than it was before, and Jessica began flinching and rolling around, unable to keep herself still. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the wolf's eyes, so full of caring love and hopeful warmth, approaching her.

* * *

Mike was speeding down the highway in his SUV, completely ignoring all speed limits and any other pesky traffic laws. Ben was in the passenger seat, and Daisha was behind him, next to Tyler. It was well after midnight, but it had been well worth it. This was what Daisha enjoyed when she was on vacation. Not worrying about missing girls, or trying to find characters from fictional books, or worrying about vampire problems, but going out into a city and having fun with a few cute boys.

At first, the four of them had been a little awkward, with Daisha unable to get back into the full swing of her flirting habits, and the three boys each clamoring over her in their own ways, but by the time they reached Port Angeles, they were talking and laughing like old friends. Daisha in particular was enjoying herself. Never one to turn down attention, she thrived on the affection the thee teenage boys were supplying her with. What was even more fun for her was flirting with one in front of the other two, and watching them redouble their efforts to win her back to their side. She made sure not to show too much preference to one boy, so by the time they had arrived back at the Cullen's house, each boy thought she liked him the most.

Mike stopped the car and turned around to face Daisha. "Did you want me to walk you to the door?" Before Mike had even finished his sentence, however, Ben was already opening Daisha's door for her.

Daisha smiled and stepped out of the car, and before Ben had a chance to shut the door, Tyler was sliding out after her.

"Thanks!" Tyler called to Ben as he accompanied Daisha to the Cullen's doorstep. He flashed her his winning pretty boy smile. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah," Daisha replied, "but it's not over yet." She looked at him from under her eyelashes like a pro, and saw that his breathing had gone shallow. It was hard for her to keep form laughing, but she managed to play it cool. She stood there, waiting for him to make his move like she knew he would. Finally, he inched his face towards her for a kiss. Right before their lips met, however, Daisha turned her head and allowed him to kiss her on the cheek.

He took a step back, a little surprise, and a morose and upset look on his face. Awkwardly, he waved at her and headed back to Mike's SUV where the other two could be seen laughing at him through the vehicle's windows.

Daisha smiled at him for a moment, then opened the door to the house, stepping inside. She looked around and was surprised to see everyone there, except for Jessica. Every face painted with worry.

"Um..." Daisha cast a curious glance across the room, "what's going on?"

Carlisle was the first to speak up as he straightened his posture, clearing his throat. He kept his golden eyes focused on the wall behind Daisha's head, and it bothered her that he wouldn't look directly at her. "It's Jessica," he said with a choking tone in his voice.

Daisha waited a few seconds to see if he would continue, but he remained silent. "Is... she okay?"

"We don't know," Alice said, sliding off the piano and landing silently on the floor beside it. It suddenly became very apparent to Daisha that a very thick tension in the room. Alice was standing next to the piano, and Jasper was positioned at the other end of the room, staring dazedly out of a window. Carlisle and Esme were standing side by side, as usual, but in very curious stances, as if waiting for something unexpected to happen. Emmett and Rosalie were sitting on top of the table used to hold breakfast earlier that morning, whispering anxiously to each other. Joe was sitting on the couch, curled tightly into a ball with two cell phones in his hands -- one his, and one Jessica's. Sarah was sitting beside him with her hand on his shoulder, and recent tearstains were under her eyes. Edward was on the other side of the piano, an upset expression on his face as he furrowed his brow in thought.

"Well..." Daisha began again. "Why don't we know?"

"Because," Alice said with a scowl, "I had been keeping an eye on you and your new friends all day for your own safety." Daisha heard Joe scoff, but no one acknowledged it, so Daisha chose to let it slide as well. "I saw Jessica go into the woods earlier, against Esme's wishes, and she fell asleep. She wasn't too far into the woods, so I let it go and decided not to worry about it. I had... other things on my mind at the time." Daisha saw her eyes flicked to Jasper for a split second, then go back to looking at piano determinedly. "A little after she woke up, though, she completely disappeared from my sight, meaning that somewhere in the woods, she ran into a mutt."

Daisha was silent for a minute or so, then she opened her mouth to speak. Before any words escaped her lips, however, Alice's posture changed with lightning speed. One second, she was leaning against the wall, keeping her eyes trained on the keys of the piano, then she was standing with her back flat against the wall, her eyes wide and unfocused directly in front of her. Edward began snickering quietly next to her, and Daisha saw his eyes move slowly across the room to lie on Jasper, who remained deep in thought and completely unaware of his surroundings. Joe, however, wasn't so oblivious.

"Can't we go looking for her?" he asked quickly, in an attempt to change the subject. "I mean, couldn't you follow her trail? What if this is the same wolf that got Bella?"

Emmett raised his thick arms in exasperation. "Finally," he shouted, "someone who's talking sense!"

Joe smiled slightly, pleased with himself.

"We could," Rosalie said impatiently, "but as I've already informed Emmett, Jessica's trail is almost a day old now, and the rain is still coming down hard as ever. The odds of this wolf being alone are extremely rare anyway," she continued. "Dogs almost always travel in packs, and I don't particularly like the idea of walking into a plain and obvious trap that's been set for us not once, but twice now."

"So what are we supposed to do then?" Joe asked. "Just sit here and do nothing?"

"No," Edward said, moving forward with finality. "You three need to sleep. We'll keep watch, and if anything happens, we'll wake you."

"No way!"

"What!?"

"Edward..."

The three humans launched into a loud string of complaints immediately, and Edward took a step back in surprise. In a few seconds, however, the three of them had stopped yelling and were instead yawning and struggling to keep their eyes open. Almost without thinking about it, Joe was forced to lean over and rest his head on Sarah's shoulder, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep, as Sarah slumped over as well, mirroring Joe. Daisha just dropped at the door way, and Edward moved to move her to the couch as well.

"Thank you Jasper," Edward said as he lifted the human effortlessly and placed her next to Sarah. Jasper merely nodded and then went back to watching outside the window.

"They need their sleep," Carlisle agreed. He turned to his family and clasped his hands together firmly. "I'm going up to my study. I need to contact some old friends, and I have a lot of research to do. Alert me immediately if anything happens." He turned quickly and proceeded up the stairs, disappearing from view.

* * *

Jessica stretched and almost let out a piercing scream when she attempted to move her leg.

"Good morning."

Jessica started and lifted herself up weakly on her elbow, attempting to find the source of the voice. Standing hear her bed was everything she had ever imagined, and then some. He was well over six feet, with the smoothest, bronze and caramel skin she had ever had the immense pleasure of laying her eyes on. His hair was jet black and shaggy, almost covering his eyes. It stuck up in odd places, giving him the appearance of a younger boy, though the body belonged to a man. He bore a stupid, childlike grin, and his brown eyes spoke only pure bliss. His shirt was graciously off, allowing Jessica to gaze upon his amazingly chiseled six pack abs, and his well defined, but not overly so, pecs. His six pack dipped slowly into a pair of low riding cut off sweats that looked as if they were close to falling off as it was; they were obviously a few sizes to wide for his narrow waist. The self mad shorts stopped a few inches above his knees, showing a doft dusting of dark hair sprinkled along his legs.

Jessica looked back up to his face, and despite the immense pain in her leg, she smiled widely. "Well," she giggle accidentally, "good morning to you too."


	6. Control

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Warning:** This chapter contains male on male naughtiness. If this is something that bothers you, please feel free to discontinue reading. I did, however, try to keep it from being too descriptive. This is not meant to be an erotica, however, so this is something that very rarely happens in this story. Enjoy. :)

**Chapter 6 -- Control**

Joe yawned and stretched out, feeling the muscles in his arms and legs tighten and gradually loosen themselves up. He managed to open his bleary eyes and glance up at the ceiling. With a sigh, he realized no light seeped into the room, and it was still dark outside. He felt disgusting. He hadn't showered in two days at least, and his hair was definitely out of order. Vaguely, he wondered to himself if the Cullens even had showers, but he didn't ponder that mystery for very long. Instead, he looked around the still dark room and saw two other sleeping figures, one on either side of him. For a few moments, Joe managed to recover some of his wakefulness and he stretched every joint in his body, not sure what he was going to do. He was certainly going to be unable to get back to sleep, but he didn't want to just sit there on his own. With a grin, he slowly approached the others, each curled up on a different end of the long sofa, and he gently shook Sarah awake. Once she began to mumble incoherently at being awoken, Joe crept silently to Daisha's side and slapped her sharply on the forehead. With reflexes to put a vampire to shame, Daisha was immediately siting up and had Joe's wrist in a death grip before he was able to piece together what happened. The resulting scuffle threatened to alert the surrounding vampires to their state of consciousness, so Sarah took it upon herself to shush them with a low warning hiss. Immediately, Joe and Daisha stopped and sat side by side, a momentary truce between them due to Sarah's interruption.

"So," Joe began, "how was you guys's first day in Forks?"

"This is why you woke us up?" Sarah questioned, rubbing the last traces of sleep from her reluctant eyes.

"I couldn't get to sleep," Joe explained quickly.

"Well," Daisha said with a wide grin, "I got to hang out with Mike, Tyler, and Ben all day. They were fighting over me the whole time." Her expression was full of pride.

"Mike _Newton_?" Sarah asked, her face in shock. "Oh my god! That's so cool!"

"Yeah," Daisha sighed. "It is. What about you guys?"

"Yeah Sarah," Joe pushed. "How are things on the Edward front?"

Sarah simply blushed. She didn't want everyone to know, she already felt guilty enough about it. These were her best friends though. If she couldn't trust them, who could she trust? "Well," she started, "I went for a walk with Edward."

"How did that go?" Joe asked eagerly.

"It was..." Sarah's mind flashed back to that moment on the bridge, to when Edward had leaned in so suddenly, so bravely... his lips pressed against hers... and then how he stopped, almost as if turning to stone beneath her touch. He had looked so torn apart then, so confused, that Sarah had felt to guilty about what she had done, she ran off and didn't look back. "It was... interesting. We talked about Bella."

"Oh," Daisha and Joe said in synchrony, disappointment on their faces.

Sarah sighed. She wished she could tell the others how she had kissed the most perfect an alive, but she knew she couldn't, not until she knew how Edward felt about it.

"Well," Joe said, "my luck was about as good as Sarah's. I did get that talk with Alice, and I decided to give up on Jasper."

The other two just stared at him in disbelief. "Are you serious?" Daisha asked.

"Yeah," Joe sighed heavily. "I mean, she really loves him. Even if he were into me, now that I've seen how Alice needs him so much, I don't think I could do it..."

"Yeah, right," Daisha scoffed.

"Okay," Joe submitted bashfully, "I probably could. It's a moot point though. He's not into me."

"I don't know," Sarah said softly. "I've seen him look at you sometimes Joe, it's like he's checking you out. I think."

Daisha chuckled darkly. "You think?"

"Shut up Daisha," Sarah shot at her in the dark. "Besides, don't you guys think what we should be worried about, instead of who we're trying to seduce, is what happened to Jessica?"

"Yeah," Joe said morosely, "but we don't even know where we would begin searching for her. Those woods are huge, you heard Alice."

"I know we can't go looking for her," Sarah said, "I'm just really worried."

"I know what you... you..." Joe tried to stifle a yawn, but to no avail. His lack of sleep was beginning to catch up to him, and he slowly rose to his feet. "I'm gonna go back up to our room guys. I'll see you in a little bit."

"I think I'll go --" Sarah began as she started to rise off the couch as well, but Daisha had her arm linked with hers in a split second and had her trapped on the couch with her.

"Sarah's staying with me," Daisha said quickly. "She still needs to give me every single detail about her day with Edward."

Joe laughed softly and headed up the stairs alone. As he trudged down the dark hallway, he his arms out to either side of him to prevent himself from running into the walls, and it seemed like every sound he heard around him, every creak of the old house, every chirp of a cricket, was magnified by ten. So, when the voice behind him spoke, Joe jumped about a foot in the air and was forced to bite his tongue so as not to scream.

"Joe?" the voice requested. "Could you come in here for a second?"

Joe spun around and saw that one of the closed doors he had recently passed was now open, and pale white light seemed to be floating out of it. Slowly, as if hypnotized, Joe began to step towards the open door, his breath held. He knew whose room this was...

As Joe stepped into Jasper's room, he was forced to stop and catch his breath. The pure white light that filled the entire room with its luminance glinted off of Jasper's exposed skin like some sort of endlessly faceted crystal. It gave the effect of Joe being in a black and white dream, everything either glowing or sparkling, and it made Joe feel extremely dull in comparison. Sitting on the sofa in his room was Jasper, wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a tight fitting tank top that seemed to trace his contours perfectly. His blonde hair was pushed back, and the moonlight glinting off of it made it appear brighter than normal. Joe was in total shock. Never before had he imagined anything this beautiful, this desirable... this dangerous.

Jasper motioned to the rest of the sofa beside him, and Joe managed to force himself to move. He slowly approached the couch with vindication and self warning, and he sat down as far away as possible from where Jasper sat. There was an awkward silence in which Jasper gazed at Joe with longing in his golden eyes, and Joe looked everywhere else there was to look except for in the eyes of the vampire who was watching him. Finally, Joe could force himself no longer, and he turned to face Jasper.

"Is this safe?" Joe asked quickly before letting himself be drawn into the beauty of the apparition in front of him. "I mean, doesn't Alice..." he let his voice trail off, knowing that Jasper would know exactly what was bothering him.

"Alice knows your here," Jasper said softly, obviously trying very hard to control himself. "She's known ever since earlier tonight, when I decided what I would do."

"Then how are we still here?" Joe asked, once again avoiding the hundreds of years old vampire's stare.

"Though she doesn't approve, she's decided to stop interfering," Jasper explained. "She wants me to be happy, but she doesn't want to give me up. She and I have both known this day was coming for a long time. Alice I were never... close. Not the way a true couple should be. Do you know what I mean?"

Joe could only nod, unwilling to look into the topaz eyes he knew were waiting for him.

"Our relationship was always prearranged, decided before I was aware of it by her visions. I accepted this arrangement, willingly and gratefully. Alice saved my life, I owe all I have to her. However, this is a terrifyingly new experience for her... for both of us. I have never felt this mad desire for anything such as I do for you, nor have I ever felt such an impossibly strong confusion about what I desire. I'm in excruciatingly new territory here." Joe could hear the nervous grin in his voice, but he still refused to look at the face he knew would finish him.

"Don't you love Alice?" Joe asked out loud, in disbelief at his own words. Here was his own personal perfect fairy tale, the one thing he wanted more than anything else, and yet he was fighting so hard to keep it from happening. Joe felt so torn apart, he was unable to bring himself to give in completely to either side.

"I will always love Alice," Jasper whispered, his voice so soft that Joe had to strain to hear it. "Always and forever. However, as I explained before, I didn't choose her. I have never considered myself homosexual before. I have never had reason to consider my sexuality at all. Upon seeing you, upon smelling you for the first time... That was the first time since I lost my humanity that I was able to look past my blood lust into something greater. You."

"Jasper," Joe gasped, "you... you can't..." Joe's chest ached with the force of the anger and desire he was repressing. "You have no idea how badly I want this. I just..." he stood and began to walk towards the door. "I couldn't live with it, not the guilt."

"Joe," Jasper stood as well, his voice rising slowly, "when you first arrived her, I could feel the lust, the desire, the caring you held in your heart for me." He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Even now, I can feel those, buried beneath your guilt and fear."

Joe stopped and turned around, his clenched fists shaking.

"Please," Jasper whispered as he crossed the rest of the distance between them in two easy steps, "let me unbury them."

Jasper took Joe's hand in his, and as soon as his own warm flesh came into contact with Jaspers tone cold skin, he felt something within him break, and all of his repressed feeling began flooding outward from inside him, filling every inch of him with fiery hot passion. It was as if every negative feeling he had ever housed in himself imply dissipated, leaving nothing but a burning lust and desire for Jasper.

Without pausing to think, Joe's lips were pressed against Jaspers, their tongues together. Joe's eyes were closed tightly when he felt something slam into his back, and he knew without seeing that Jasper had pinned him against the wall. Joe brought his hands to Jasper's hair and entangled them in it, bringing Jasper's face tighter against his. Suddenly, Joe felt the passion inside of him grow tenfold, and in an instant it was as if everything had switched from passionate lovemaking to pure animalistic lust.

Their lips broke apart for a split second, though that was long enough for Jasper to remove his brown tank top, lifting it above his head and throwing it behind him. Joe breathed out, and he could see his breath in the air. Then, just a second later, they were at it again, kissing ferociously. Jasper moved his head lower and Joe raised his chin, and Joe could feel Jasper's ice cold lips against his throat. For the tiniest of moments, a fear of Jasper losing control entered the tiniest corner of Joe's mind, but that was wiped away immediately. Joe's breath came out in ragged gasps, and Jasper's tongue was on the nape of Joe's neck.

Without warning, Jasper ripped Joe's shirt violently from his body and pulled him into him as Joe gasped sharply at the unexpected cold that he relished. Silently, the two of them inched towards the floor until they came to a rest on the ground with Joe on top, their lips never separating from each other for more than a fraction of a second. With Joe's right hand, he began to trace the ridges of Jasper's perfect body. Beginning at the deep groove between his pecs, and traveling slowly south to the smaller contours of his abdominals, and then back up again, not missing a single detail. Between kisses, Jasper, breathed out heavily into Joe's face, knocking out all of Joe's senses momentarily in a state of the purest bliss. Jasper took advantage of Joe's moment of weakness and flipped him over without effort so that Jasper was face down on Joe, and the ferocity of their kisses resumed, only increasing with every passing second. Joe laid his head back, completely giving into the nirvana, until he felt something new at his throat this time. They were sharp and rough, jagged to the touch. Joe's body immediately froze up at the feel of the razor sharp teeth.

"Jasper," Joe gasped out, "is this... safe?"

Jasper stopped at once, and lifted Joe's head up look into his eyes. "Do you want it to be?"

Leaning in slowly for another kiss, Joe drank in Jasper's impossibly intoxicating scent.

"No."

* * *

"Well," Jacob said, grinning from ear to ear as he sat on the best next to Jessica, "I'm no doctor, but I'd say it's broken."

"Uh, yeah!" Jessica cried out, smiling drunkenly. Damn, she thought to herself. If this is what it feels like to break a bone, I'm going to try this more often!

"I put it in a sort of makeshift brace," Jacob said with pride, "while you were asleep." He gestured to her leg, which Jessica noticed for the first time was covered in rope with what felt like thick sticks running up either side.

"I think it's great," she encouraged. "Very, um... creative." She smiled up at him. One thought weighed heavily on her mind, however, and she was never one for holding in her thoughts. "I have to ask you Jacob. Did you, um... Did you imprint on me?"

Jacob's face immediately went from giddy and childlike to mature and serious. "How do you know what that is?"

"Oh..." Jessica didn't really know how to explain it properly. "Do you know Stephenie Meyer?" she asked hopefully.

"Ah," Jacob said, his happy attitude returning immediately. "Say no more. I always wondered when someone was going to read those books and come up here to discover it's all true. I'm glad it was you though."

Jessica beamed up at him. "So, that's a yes, right?"

"Oh yeah," Jacob said deeply. "I'd say this is definitely an imprinting."

"Wait a minute," Jessica said suddenly. "You were a wolf before, right?"

"Yeah," Jacob said, placing his hand on her good knee.

"Was that your first time phasing to a wolf since you ran away?" She looked very confused, and Jacob was immediately filled with a desire to comfort her.

"No!" Jacob exclaimed. "I've gone all fuzzy a dozen times since then! Why?"

"Something Carlisle said," Jessica explained. "None of the Quileute wolves have heard you in the group plural since you left. They said the only explanations they could think of were that you were either always human, or you were dead."

"Oh," Jacob said, his face dropping. He was obviously not expecting this turn in the conversation. "I don't think what happened to me has ever happened before, so I'm not surprised they don't know how to explain it."

"Which would be..." Jessica urged.

"I'm not part of the pack anymore," Jacob said slowly. "I don't know how it happened, but once I ran away, I could feel the change. I knew that I wasn't a part of them anymore. I don't know how, I just knew that it was true."

"Wow..." Jessica gasped softly.

"Why the hell was the doctor leech looking for me anyway?" Jacob asked, a certain level of venom in his voice.

"Oh my god!" Jessica cried in realization. "You don't know do you?"

"Know what..." Jacob asked her warily.

"Bella," Jessica said cautiously, "she got kidnapped, and... and hurt. Jacob?" The werewolf had gone completely still. "Are you okay?"

"Who did it?" Jacob asked determinedly. His form seemed to be fading in and out of focus very quickly, as if he was on the verge of losing control.

"We're not sure," Jessica said quickly, as if saying it faster would ease the pain. "But we know it's a wolf. Probably that wolf that attacked me."

There was a long pause, and then Jacob was able to speak again. "That wolf was part of a larger pack."

Jessica was shocked. "What?! Another pack? How!?"

"Yeah..." Jacob ran his hands through his black shaggy hair and began pacing back and forth. The sight of him began to make Jessica nervous. "I'm not sure where they're from, but they started living in the woods near the bloodsucker's house. I saw them pass through on their way there from somewhere in the south, but I had no idea... Why would they go after Bella?"

"We don't know," Jessica said softly. "No one does, that's the thing. We don't know who they are, or where they are, or how to find out."

"Damn it!" Jacob furiously punched through the air, and his outline once more seemed to blur, as if he was mere moments from phasing into his much more dangerous form. It took him a few more seconds to regain his composure and he allowed himself to sit on the bed with her once more. "We have to go back."

"Yeah," Jessica agreed, deeply in thought. "My friends are up there too, but I'm obviously not very fit to be traveling right now. Speaking of which, where are we?"

"Um..." Jacob had to force himself back from his thoughts of rescuing Bella in order to focus on the present. "We're in a cabin. It's in Oregon somewhere, I don't know the exact location. It's some couples vacation home, but from what I've seen, they don't come up very often. That's why I chose it."

"Wow," Jessica thought out loud. "Oregon. That's a long way."

"Yeah, it is," Jacob agreed. "And you're right, you're in no condition to travel right now. We'll have to leave as soon as it heals enough though."

"Deal," Jessica smiled at last, sitting up enough to slide her hand towards his thigh.

Jacob glanced at her, unable to hold in his own smile. He leaned in towards her and planted a soft kiss on her lips, and when he pulled away he saw the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her face. "So..." Jacob hesitated.

"What is it?" Jessica asked cautiously, afraid of another less that pleasant topic.

"Well," Jacob said, grinning sheepishly, "now that I'm completely in love with you and everything... What's your name?"

Jessica laughed. "Jessica," she informed him, and he smiled back.

"Jessica Black," he laughed, pushing her onto her back. "Has a nice ring to it."


	7. Addiction

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 7 -- Addiction**

Sarah and Daisha woke up at about the same time when the sun shone through the windows, penetrating their closed eyelids. Instead of following Joe up to their room the night before, they had chosen to remain on the more comfortable couch, each of them taking a different side of it.

After a few minutes of getting ready for the day ahead, they finally decided to go force Joe awake. They climbed the stairs together, chatting softly. Today was the day they were supposed to go searching for Jessica, and they knew they needed to get as early a start as necessary.

Sarah pushed the spare bedroom's door open slowly and peered inside. "Joe?" After a few seconds, she entered the room, followed closely by Daisha, only to discover that it was empty, the blankets completely untouched in the corner of the room. "He never came in here last night," Sarah mused to herself.

"Then where did he go?" Daisha asked, looking around.

"Let's go downstairs and see if anyone else knows," Sarah decided, heading back out the door.

As Sarah and Daisha reached the bottom of the stairs, the first thing they noticed was the complete lack of anyone else. "Damn," Daisha sat on the bottom step, resting her chin on her knees. "Where is everyone?"

Sarah sat next to Daisha and shrugged. For the first time since she arrived in Forks, Sarah didn't feel the need to try to hide her thoughts. As far as she could tell, Edward was nowhere around, so it was probably safe. She thought of Jessica, who could be anywhere, completely lost, or a prisoner of some rogue werewolf, or even... no, she couldn't think of that. Sarah felt so helpless about the entire situation, so useless, unable to do anything to help her friend. From Jessica, Sarah's thought strayed to Bella, who could be in the exact same situation as Jessica, or even worse...

Actually, to Sarah, it made sense that Jessica and Bella were probably together right now. If Jessica was kidnapped by the rogue wolf, it would only make sense that it was the same wolf that got Bella. How many other rogue werewolves that no one knew about were roaming the forest right outside the Cullen's house?

Suddenly, Sarah's stomach seemed to drop through the floor. If her theory was right, and Jessica and Bella were together, then finding one meant finding the other. They would be unable to rescue Jessica without bringing Bella back as well. Guilt overwhelmed inside of her. Was she really thinking of sacrificing an innocent life just so she could have the man of her life? She couldn't, she wouldn't. But...

Surely if Bella were rescued, Edward would go to her without looking back. Would she be able to deal with that? After all she'd gone through lately, would she be able to face the pain of losing whatever she and Edward had now?

She shook her head. As long as she refused to think about it, she wouldn't have to worry about it.

The front door suddenly opened quickly and Edward stepped coolly into the room, stopping to look at the two girl sitting on the stairs. Sarah immediately froze and wondered if he had heard what she had been thinking. If he did... But there was no strange expression on his face, nothing to hint that he had overheard her most shameful of thoughts.

"Hello," Edward greeted them courteously, leaning against the door after he shut it. "Did you two sleep well?"

"Well enough," Daisha yawned.

"Where is everyone?" Sarah asked curiously. She tried avoiding Edward's steely gaze, but it was nearly impossible for her to look anywhere else.

"We started the search early," Edward explained. "They're out in the woods. I came back to see if any of you had awakened yet."

"Have we had any luck with finding anyone?" Daisha asked eagerly.

"Not yet," Edward replied, still not moving his eyes from Sarah's face. "We don't expect to gain much headway either."

"Why don't you just have Alice try to see Jessica," Daisha stood, stretching. "If she can't find her, she's with the wolves. If she can find her, then we'll at least know what we're looking for, right?"

Edward dropped his eyes for the first time since arriving, and both Daisha and Sarah caught on.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked, standing alongside Daisha.

"Alice is gone," Edward said slowly, refusing to look up. "She left sometime last night."

"Why?" Sarah was in disbelief. How Alice could abandon her family when they needed her so helplessly...

"Ask Joe," was the only explanation Edward could offer. His voice stung with bitterness, and Daisha and Sarah had no doubt as to why Alice had run away.

"Wow..." Sarah mumbled softly. She couldn't believe that Joe would have sunk to suck levels... What he had done to piss Alice off, Sarah had no idea, but it had to be bad.

"We should go," Edward said, breaking the stunned silence that now encompassed the room. "I told the others I would return with you shortly to resume the search. There's still a lot of forest to cover and not enough daylight to do it in."

"Couldn't you search for them at night to?" Daisha wondered aloud.

"We could," Edward countered, "but we prefer not to. Even with heightened senses, it's too easy to miss important details in the dark."

"Well," Daisha said thoughtfully, hanging back when Sarah began walking towards the door that Edward was holding open, "if it's alright with you, I'd like to wait here for Joe to, um... wake up. So that he knows where everyone is, you know?"

Edward stared at her for a brief moment, and Daisha could practically feel him prying into her mind, searching for alternative motives to her strange behavior. Finally, he seemed to decide that she was being honest, and he nodded once, and stepped outside after Sarah. Daisha heard the door click shut, and she walked slowly to the sofa she had slept on last night and slumped down in it.

* * *

Together, Sarah and Edward walked in silence for several minutes. Or more accurately, Edward walked. Sarah had to jog to keep up with his long paces. They crossed the threshold into the forest, and the immediate difference amazed Sarah. It was as if going from safe to dangerous in less than a second. Maybe it was all that had gone on in this forest since she had arrived, but even the eerie angular shadows caused by the branches swinging in the wind seemed malevolent. The silence was unbearable, and Sarah found herself unable to keep from talking.

"So, where are we looking for them at?" She glanced up at him expectantly.

Instead of replying to her, Edward kept his gaze level and even, not even bothering to look down at her. He remained completely silent, and Sarah thought she saw his steel jaw flex, as if he was forcing this feigned ignorance on himself. Sarah gave up then, returning her focus to the ground to watch for stray roots or rocks that she might accidentally fall over.

Why was Edward ignoring her? Was it possible that he did hear what she was thinking about in the house before he walked in? The very thought caused her to blanch in fear, and she prayed for anything but that to be true. She didn't think she could live with herself if Edward thought she was that heartless.

Without any notice, her foot got caught on a large branch that lay across where she was walking. In her mindless thinking, she had allowed herself to be tripped up. She clenched her eyes shut as she felt her body fall through the air, preparing for the inevitable smack of the muddy ground against her, but it never came. Instead, the feeling of two ice cold marble arm wrapping around her and scooping her up met her, and her eyes opened in shock. Edward's angelic face, serious but pleased, smiled down at her.

He continued to walk with her in his arms, and Sarah blushed in embarrassment.

"You have a complicated mind," Edward said softly into her ear. "In all my years, I've never encountered anyone so confused and tormented by herself than you."

"I'm sorry," Sarah whispered back.

Edward sighed. He stopped shortly to set her down and allow her to walk on her own, and then picked up his pace yet again. "Do you have any idea why I haven't spoken to you since we left?"

"No," Sarah said somberly. "Sorry."

"Stop apologizing for every little thing," Edward said hastily. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

Sarah remained silent. She was extremely confused by the way Edward was acting. She vaguely wondered if he could be bipolar, and she could see that her thought had caused him to smile and shake his head.

"You are impossible," Edward said softly. "Come on," and he turned and began moving faster. "There's one area over here that hasn't been searched yet."

Sarah struggled to maintain his speed, and even still she found herself falling behind. After several minutes of running as fast as she could, she looked up to realize that Edward was nowhere to be seen.

"Edward!?" Sarah called out, looking around desperately. Instantly, the severity of her situation sunk in, and she could feel her heartbeat pick up rapidly. "Edward!" With a hint of hilarity in her voice, she began running. Wait, she thought to herself. Was this even the right way? She turned around in a circle, looking for anything familiar to her, but she hadn't been paying attention to her surrounding at all since they came into the woods, she had only follwed where Edward had led. So stupid...

In desperation, she began running in a direction that she thought Edward may have gone. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she refused to let any spill. This wasn't the time for crying, she had been in worse situations... Hadn't she? Her mind struggled to think of an example, but none would come to her. Lost in the middle of an unknown wood, ravenous werewolves wandering around all around her, her vampire protectors nowhere to be found...

Suddenly, Sarah was forced to stop still, her mouth held open by the beautiful sight beheld in front of her. A perfectly circular meadow was presented before, the most gorgeous tall wild grass and splashes of purple and blue flowers spread throughout. Above her, the sun actually poked through the thick, heavy clouds. illuminating the meadow with soft, golden warmth. There was no doubt in Sarah's mind as to what this meadow was. This Bella and Edward's meadow. She had no place here, a traitor like herself. Stumbling upon this wondrous place was irony of the cruelest kind.

"I didn't mean to lose you," a voice from behind her said quietly, and Sarah turned slowly in Edward's direction. "I didn't realize you walked so slow."

Sarah sighed. "Sor--"

"I said no more apologizing," Edward cut her off, his hand laying lightly on her lips. He had crossed the fifty or more feet in between them in less time than it took Sarah to blink, and the sudden shock of seeing him standing so close to her, touching her, made her freeze up unintentionally. Edward's hand shot back like lightening, making Sarah wonder if it had ever been there at all.

"Your thoughts are impossibly perfect," Edward said, closing his eyes. "I could listen to what you think for an eternity or more."

Sarah blushed, not sure if she was pleased or not.

"I heard what you were thinking before," Edward said. "About finding Jessica and finding Bella, and what would happen if they were found together."

In a flash, Sarah's guilt returned more powerfully than before, accompanied with an extra dose of shame.

"You shouldn't feel that way," Edward flinched, as if he longed to reach out and touch her face, but restrained himself. "Are you really so unaware of yourself that you think of yourself as unworthy?" Finally, his resolve broke, and his hand was brought slowly up to her face, the surface of his skin glinting slightly in the din sunlight. The freezing touch of his skin made her shiver, and she wasn't entirely sure it was from the cold. "I can't see the future," Edward continued. "That's Alice's area of expertise, and right now we don't even have her. I don't know what tomorrow will hold, or what we might encounter in the future. I can't see if I will ever see Bella again. As much as it pain me to think of that possibility, of never seeing Bella again... it makes it a bit easier to know that, for the time being at least, I have you."

"What if Bella doe come back," Sarah asked. She didn't want to know the answer, she couldn't bear it if she heard what she thought she might. But she had to know, she had to be able to prepare herself for whatever happened.

Edward was silent, deathly still for several minutes. "I don't know," he finally revealed slowly and carefully. "That's something I couldn't consider until it happened." He sighed and looked up at the sky, his face meeting the sun's warmth and gleaming gently. He closed his eyes, and Sarah was so tempted to reach out and touch him, just to see if this image of ultimate beauty was actually real. The slightest of nods could be seen from Edward's otherwise stone face, and accepting the invitation, Sarah brought her fingertips up slowly to the angel's face, tracing his perfect features, his impossibly beautiful lips, his unbelievably ravishing eyes.

"I was never able to fully understand Bella's predicament," Edward said suddenly, and Sarah quickly moved her hand back to her side. "I never gave her the benefit of the doubt, but how could I? How could I possibly know how hard it is? But it is, it is so hard..."

"What is?" Sarah asked, confused.

Edward looked down at her and smiled his amazing crooked grin, his teeth glinting in the sunlight. "Being in love with two people at once."

And he kissed her, passionately and beautifully, and Sarah kissed him back, bathing in the warm sunlight while clutching living ice as if her entire being depended on it.

* * *

She ran, he brown hair streaming out behind her, getting caught in branches and ripped out at the roots, but she ignored the pain. The pain that she had been forced to endure these past few days had been terrible enough, this was nothing compared to that. Her hands and arms were scratched deeply, some of them still bleeding. Her wrist were rubbed raw where her rope binds had cut into her in her insane attempts or escape. She had been running since early morning, and it was only a matter of time before her captors caught up to her. They must have realized by now that she had escaped, and they would be pursuing her no doubt. She had no idea where she was, only that it was better than where she was running from.

Suddenly, from off to her left, she heard a voice. She stopped instantly, debating on whether or not she should follow it. It could be someone willing to help her... Or it could be someone worse. Taking her chances, she stepped silently towards the voice, not wanting to alert them to her presence.

"I was never able to fully understand Bella's predicament," the voice rang out heavenly from the thick forest. It was so familiar... Surely it was some sort of a trick. She refused to belive she could be so lucky after what had already happened to her. Still, it did sound like him...

"How could I possibly know how hard it is? but it is, it is so hard..."

Damn! There was the voice again, and it was so perfect, so melodic, so... No, it couldn't be. A girl's voice joined the male's, and she stopped suddenly to listen.

"What are you talking about?" The female voice wasn't nearly as beautiful as the boy's, but it didn't sound cruel either... Maybe they would help her. Slowly, she inched forward until the two of them came into view. There, less that fifty yards away, was the love of her life, Edward. He had never looked so beautiful before as he did now, there in the clearing, the sun glinting off of him... But who was that strange girl? Bella was seconds away from stepping into the clearing and revealing herself to them when Edward spoke again.

"Being in love with two people at once." Suddenly, she froze up, her body losing the ability to take a single step forward into the sunlight with her Edward.

And then they kissed, and Bella Swan felt her mind shut off, rejecting the possibility of what she was seeing. The love of her life, her reason for existing, her fiance, was kissing another girl, and he was in love with her too?

A numb feeling traveled up her entire body and she felt herself losing her grip on the world around her. She struggled to remain herself, to keep her head above the sorrow and pain threatening to overwhelm her, but she was losing ground.

A pair of icy cold hands grabbed her shoulder suddenly, covering her mouth to prevent her from screaming. It was an empty motion, as Bella couldn't have screamed if she wanted to. She could feel herself being pulled away forcefully by a mysterious new captor. She was getting kidnapped again, and Bella Swan didn't care.


	8. Daisha

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 8 -- Daisha**

Daisha's fingers slid down the keys of Edward's piano for the hundredth time and listened to the notes climb and fall, rise and descend. She rolled her eyes and hit several low keys at once, blasting an ominous and bone chilling chord that echoed throughout the cavernous mansion.

"Ugh..." she muttered to herself. It had been forty five minutes since Edward had taken off with Sarah, and Daisha was beginning to get bored sitting and waiting. How long did Joe and Jasper honestly need to spend together in the morning? There was no way he was still asleep, it was a quarter past one!

Frustrated with waiting, she marched up the stairs determinedly and stopped in front of Jasper's door. She took a deep breath and knocked loudly, letting the noise resonate.

"Joe?" she yelled through the door, "hello?" She decided to try the handle, and she found it to be surprisingly unlocked. She cracked it open and peered inside. "You alive in there?"

"Yeah..." Joe's voice came out morose and sullen, just the opposite of what Daisha had expected. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, looking around as she did. Joe was sitting on the couch alone, his head resting heavily on his arm.

"Hey," she said as she walked over and sat next to him. "What's up? You look a little down for someone who just had the best night of his life." She grinned and poked him in the ribs jokingly, but her grin faded when he winced painfully at her touch. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing..." Joe responded, scooting over to put distance between the two of them. He looked up and smiled unconvincingly. "I had a... a great night."

"Yeah, I can tell," Daisha said sarcastically. "Come on, what's with the weirdness?"

"Well," Joe began, unsure of how to start his story. "Last night was... amazing. It's just that... Jasper's a little rougher than I'm used to." He slowly lifted his shirt up to reveal several deep purple bruises along his rib cage. "And..." he continued as he lowered his shirt back down, pulling the neck of his shirt lower as well. Doing so showed off several scratches along his neck, continuing lower until plunging into his shirt again. One deep scratch in particular stood out to Daisha, and she stared at it until Joe noticed.

"Why is that one so much worse than the others?" she asked him. "It's all... red, and sore looking."

Joe sighed, releasing his shirt and allowing it to slide back into place, covering his battle scars. "He sort of bit a little bit too hard." Daisha gasped and her hand instinctively shot out to his shoulder. "No, no!" Joe stammered, pushing her hand away. "It's not like that! He sucked the venom out before it even started to spread. I'm fine." He smiled reassuringly at her.

"So how do you feel about it now?" Daisha asked him.

"What do you mean?" he questioned, not sure how he was supposed to feel.

"You mean..." Daisha's voice trailed off slowly. "Jasper didn't tell you."

"He was gone when I woke up," Joe explained. "Didn't tell me what?"

"It's Alice," Daisha muttered, not wanting to be the one to break the news to him. "She, uh... She left because of what happened last night."

Joe was shocked silent, and he leaned back heavily, wincing as his sore back hit the couch. "Wow..."

"I don't see why you're surprised," she said slowly, watching his face. "You had to have known something like this would happen."

"I was going to say no to him," Joe mumbled, more to himself than to Daisha. "I was going to tell him we couldn't do anything, but... Well, for one, I really wanted it. Plus, he made me not feel guilty about it. He took away most of my emotions. All I felt was how much I wanted him, and then before I knew it, we were..."

"Whatever," Daisha rolled her eyes disbelievingly. "Come on, I think I can make you feel better." She stood quickly, zipping out the door and down the stairs before Joe could even bring himself to rise off the couch. He slowly followed his friend and saw her standing by the open front door, an expecting smile on her face.

"Where is everyone?" Joe asked.

"Well, besides Alice, everybody's looking for Jessica." Daisha headed out the door and Joe followed her once again, shutting the door behind him. For once, Joe was glad the sun hardly shone here. He didn't think he could stand the brightness in his sleep deprived state. The clouds above looked thick enough to provide more than enough shade for the rest of the day. A large, white SUV of some kind sat in the Cullen's front yard, three teenage boys sitting impatiently inside of it.

"What are we doing?" Joe asked hesitantly.

"We're going out," Daisha said with a sly grin, "to Seattle."

Once inside the vehicle, introductions were made, and the three boys who Joe recognized without being told as Mike, Tyler, and Ben, seemed to be treating him with undeserved hostility. Daisha, recognizing the problem, poked her head into the front seat.

"Joe's gay," she revealed between laughs. "You guys don't have to be jealous."

The shift in the atmosphere of the car was immediate, and Joe finally began to settle in and enjoy himself, save for the occasional bumps along the highway that sent shots of pain echoing throughout his body from last night.

"Have you guys heard about the serial killer in Seattle?" Tyler asked in an ominous voice.

"Really?" Daisha asked with feigned shock and fear. "Is it safe?"

"Yeah," Ben took over the story from Tyler, who shot him an enraged look. "No one's been killed in a while, but it's still pretty crazy. It was one of the worst killers ever heard of. Pretty sick stuff. The guy was never caught."

"Sounds dangerous," Daisha said wickedly. "I love danger."

"Well," Mike jumped in, "you've come to the wrong place. Forks is about a dangerous as a TV dinner."

Daisha and Joe just laughed together while the other three boys wondered what was so funny. The rest of the trip was quiet and sparse in conversation while everyone stared out of their windows at the beautiful scenery, occasionally breaking the comfortable quiet to ask a question or two. Joe couldn't help but notice the attention the boys were giving Daisha, and he couldn't believe that she had them all wrapped around her finger so easily. He rolled his eyes at their ignorance.

By the time they finally reached Seattle it was well past lunchtime, so the five of them headed to the nearest fast food restaurant to get something to eat. While they were in line to order, Mike nudged Daisha in the ribs and gestured nonchalantly to a man seated at booth behind them. "Check out the weirdo," he whispered.

Daisha pretended to survey the entire restaurant while taking a look at the man Mike had referenced, and she was shocked to feel a shiver of real fear run down her spine. Something about the man bothered her greatly, and she turned back around quickly to avoid his gaze.

The man had brown hair that was tousled and badly in need of a trim. His face was well overgrown with what looked like several weeks of beard. He had worn faded, dirty blue jeans and a black shirt that looked like it was smeared with some sort of grimy substance. A pair of dark sunglasses shrouded his eyes, but Daisha had the most peculiar sensation that he was looking directly at her. He would have been attractive if it weren't for his less than satisfactory wardrobe and his general creepiness.

After they had finished eating, the group headed out to explore downtown Seattle. Daisha still couldn't shake the feeling that had been plaguing her the entire time she had eaten while the man had ogled openly at her from across the room. Even though she frequently cast a glance behind her, she never saw him following her, but she was sure he was somewhere out there, she could almost feel his dirty stares on her skin.

Eventually, Mike, Ben, and Tyler went into some sports store and Joe and Daisha waited patiently outside on a damp bench for them.

"What's up with you?" Joe asked seriously. "You haven't been flirting with those three as much as I expected. What's wrong?"

"That guy from the restaurant," Daisha explained. "He really creeped me out."

"That was over an hour ago though," Joe said softly. "Is it still bothering you? Should we ask to go back to the Cullen's?"

"I still feel like he's watching us," she muttered. "I know it's weird, but you know that feeling when someone's watching you?"

"Yeah," Joe replied, "but I don't feel anything."

"Maybe he' just watching me," Daisha said, shuddering at the thought.

Joe couldn't stop himself from laughing. "Jeez, egotistical much?"

It was then that the three boys returned from their shopping, still engage in an argument about who was the best player on some team.

"Do you guys remember where we parked?" Tyler asked suddenly. "Wasn't the parking garage somewhere around here?"

"I think so," Joe looked around the empty street. They had been wandering around, laughing and talking for several hours now, and the sun was beginning to set.

"Maybe it was south," Mike suggested. "There's a shortcut over here."

The five of them walked in silence until Daisha stopped suddenly. "Um... an alley? Is that safe?"

The other four stared at her in disbelief. "Are you serious?" Mike asked.

"Come on," Tyler stepped beside her and put his arm around her waist. "I'll protect you."

Daisha swallowed forcefully and managed to bring a cautious smile to her lips as she began walking again. This idea was definitely not one that she wanted to go through with, but she didn't have much of a choice apparently.

Joe sighed and began walking regrettably as well. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was a bad idea, but he followed silently.

"Wow," Daisha's voice echoed off the dirty brick walls. "It's really dark in here."

"Are you worried?" Tyler whispered into her ear as his hand slid lower down her back.

Daisha sighed internally and giggled, shaking her head no. How long was she going to be able to keep up this cutsey girl act?

"Well you should be." The voice came from somewhere ahead of them, but in the darkness it was impossible to tell exactly where. They all stopped, and Tyler pulled Daisha closer to him.

"Daisha," Tyler whispered, "run. We'll hold him off."

"Why me?" Daisha hissed back, removing herself from Tyler's grasp.

"You're a girl," he urged her. "You're more vulnerable than the rest of us."

"Listen to him, Daisha," the mysterious voice taunted. "It'll be more fun that way." The voice was deep, almost comically so, and filled with malice. It made the hair on Daisha's neck stand on end.

"Daisha, do it!" Joe yelled as he ran up to join the other boys. He knew exactly what this man could be, and he knew what it would mean if she didn't get somewhere populated.

Daisha slowly took a few tentative steps back and looked around her. Without warning, a crash from ahead of them all vibrated the air around them, and Daisha jumped, turning around and sprinting the way she had just come as quickly as she was capable of. From behind her, a vicious snarl ripped through the air, but she didn't turn around to see what was happening.

The snarl made the boys jump and they searched the darkness eagerly for any sort of movement, but all they saw was shadow and darkness, nothing else.

Without any warning, Ben was flew into the air and was slammed high into the alley wall with enough force to shatter the bricks he collided with. His cry came out strangled and defeated, and a split second later, half of Ben's body landed on Joe's foot, while the other half collided with Mike, knocking him over. Joe jumped back and tried to scream, but no sound came out. Mike scrambled to get to his feet, but before he was able to get his footing, his body hit the ground once more -- minus his head, which from the sound of things, landed about sixty yards away in a metal trash can.

Joe silently cursed his luck and ran over to Tyler who was standing with his back against a dumpster, not moving.

"Come on," Joe yelled at him, tugging at his arm. "We have to go!"

Tyler was shaking so violently, however, that it was difficult for Joe to maintain his grip on him. "Tyler, come on," Joe urged, but it was as if he was rooted to the spot. "Damn it!" Joe yelled and took a step back. Then he stopped, listening to the complete silence around him. There was no movement, no anything. Just them. "Shit," Joe mumbled as he began running back the way they had originally came from after Daisha. His legs burned with exertion and his side was beginning to ache, but he continued running, determined to catch her before the monster did.

* * *

Daisha stopped as she emerged from the alley and she looked around, gasping for air. Her legs felt like jelly and she didn't think she could take another step without falling apart. She searched her surroundings, feeling elated that she was on a main road -- but her happiness sank quickly as she discovered it was entirely deserted.

Begrudgingly, she forced her legs into a quick jog and continued down the road. Up ahead of her, the lights of a restaurant of some sort shone through the impending darkness, and silhouettes of people moved inside the tinted glass. She was practically there, only a block away from freedom, when she passed under a solitary streetlight. In the pale light shining down onto the sidewalk, a shadow blotted it all out, and something slammed directly into Daisha's back, knocking her forcefully into the ground. She let out a loud yelp and began screaming, hoping to get someone's attention in the building ahead of her.

"Help me! Help!" But no one answered her plea. As she turned over to get a look at her assailant, she felt all the air leave her lungs. The man in dark glasses leered at her, a sickening grin plastered on his face. His teeth shone obscenely in the beam of the streetlight, and Daisha felt a wail rise up within her chest. He slowly advanced upon her to claim his prize, but she was determined not to go down without a fight.

With a forceful groan, she swung her foot upward and slammed it into his face. It was like kicking a solid stone wall, and the snap of her ankle breaking resounded through the night. She let out a mangled cry and felt pain wash over her, submerging her within it. Please let me pass out, she begged to herself, please let the pain take over... But her prayers went unanswered. When her eyes opened, she could see the monster of a man in perfect clarity, and she was surprised to see that his glasses weren't on his face. Instead, they lay shattered next to him, and his grin was now a frown, his deep, blood red eyes pulled into a tight glare.

Once again, the vampire began lowering himself on top of her to feast, but he was fortunately interrupted again, this time by someone else. A cinderblock was flying through the air and Daisha saw it sail directly into the monster's head, crumbling when the two collided. Of course, the vampire didn't even flinch, but he did spin around to see who was interrupting him, and Daisha caught a glimpse of Joe standing a few yards back, another stone block held heavily in his hands. His face and clothes were splattered with blood and he was breathing excruciatingly hard, but she had never been so happy to see him in her life.

Her joy was fleeting, however, as the man grabbed her tightly by her crumpled ankle and sent her flying through the air into another alley. She landed in a crumpled pile by a dumpster and began screaming her lungs out in pain and desperation.

The monster turned onto Joe and shot forward, reaching out and knocking the second stone out of his hands before Joe could react. "You know," the man snarled, "normally, when I spare someone's life, they don't come back to pick a fight with me." The man's face was contorted with rage and disgust, and Joe had to force himself to to speak as he backed up hastily.

"Kill me and leave her," Joe bartered quickly, unaware of how much time the vampire would give him. "Please."

"How about this instead," the vampire spat as he circled Joe twice in a second, knocking him onto his knees. "I'll kill you, and then kill her. Sound good?"

"You'll have to catch me fir--" Joe yelled as he began to turn around, but before he even finished his sentence, his feet got tangled among themselves and Joe was sent face first into the sidewalk. His head collided with the concrete and he felt his consciousness swim before completely blacking out.

The vampire shook his head in disbelief, turning his back on the unconscious body. He headed into the alley where he had thrown Daisha, and prepared to finally get his reward.

"Hello my sweet," he purred to Daisha, cradling her head in his hands. He knelt next to her and smiled. "Do you want me to kill you?"

Her tear stained face remained stony and unresponsive. She refused to give him the satisfaction of an answer.

"I'll do it," he murmured, "if you beg for it. Otherwise, it will be a very long night for you." His scent was rancid, and it burned Daisha to breathe it in. "Come on," he urged. "Beg for death."

He smiled. "Very well, you've made your choice." He lowered his face to her chest and breathed deeply her scent. There was a seconds pause, and then he sunk his teeth into her flesh. He ripped and tore, shaking his head violently, and Daisha felt a if she was being burrowed into.

Then, just as suddenly as it all started, he stopped. Both of them heard it, a loud, shrill giggle coming from up the street. The vampire raised his head high and inhaled, testing this new scent. He smiled, his face still covered in Daisha's blood. He stood slowly.

"Something sweeter..." He said softly, but Daisha was much too far gone to understand him. He reached down and grabbed her once more by her broken ankle and tossed her effortlessly into the dumpster, where she landed with a soft thud.

The monster hurried away, his thoughts already on the girl ahead of him, completely forgotten about the girl he left for dead in the dumpster.

Daisha was completely numb, all her pain being pushed to the back of her mind, when a new pain seemed to creep into her system. It was far worse than anything she'd ever felt before. So bad she couldn't scream, she couldn't move, she couldn't breather.

A fierce, unforgiving fire was stemming from her wound where he had bitten her. It was deep in her blood, and there was nothing she could do about it, so paralyzing it was.

As the sun rose and Tyler found that his legs could work, he stumbled from the alley, blood stained and impossibly pale. He almost walked into Joe, lying face down on the sidewalk, just beginning to come back to consciousness, while less than fifty yards away, Daisha lay paralyzed and silent, as the fire continued to spread throughout her.


	9. Burned

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 9 -- Burned**

Jessica's eyelids fluttered open quickly as the sun shone brightly on her face. She could feel Jacob's arm lying on her chest and it was so warm it was beginning to make her sweat. She desperately wished she was still asleep. She slowly cuddled closer up to him and felt his warmth spread into her whole body as he pressed into him, and she smiled gently to herself.

"Awake already?" His husky voice penetrated her thoughts and she raised her head to look into his eyes. The dark brown pools of emotion she stared into were so filled with love and devotion she almost had to look away for fear of blushing. She brought her hand slowly up to his face and caressed it, brushing her slight fingertips across his bronze skin. It was both soft yet firm, burning hot, and it sent chills into her as she felt it under her fingers.

"You know," he said softly, his lips barely moving, "they're probably worried about you."

Jessica's stomach lurched instantly, and the feeling of guilt that overtook her was more powerful than she would have thought possible. "I know," she replied, "but we can't go back, my leg..."

"I could carry you," he whispered into her ear, gently running his tongue alongside the edge, sending the most wonderful of shivers down her spine.

"I don't really know..." she began, then stopped. Jacob raised his head and looked at her inquisitively. "I don't know if I want to go back," she spilled out in a rush. The look on her lover's face was one of shock and disbelief, and she quickly attempted to explain. "I mean, I miss my friends and everything, but I'm so much happier here with you. Happier than I ever was with them, or with anyone else. I just don't think I'm ready to give that up yet. It hasn't even been a week."

"You'll never have to give me up," Jacob said, pulling her closer to him, letting every inch of their skin touch, their leg intertwining. "I'll follow you anywhere and everywhere. I'll never leave you. No matter what happens, I swear I will always be there for you."

Jessica lost herself in his warmth, feeling herself melt into him as she gave up herself what they could be together. "It won't be the same," she whispered to him. "Here, we're the only ones that exist. If we go back it won't be the same."

He sighed and rolled over in a flash so that she was laying on top of him, and she moved her hand up his hot steel chest and into his hair as she stroked its warm silkiness absentmindedly. "Come on love," Jacob said as he laughed giddily. "I'll do anything for you. Just work with me."

"Stay with me," she begged, suddenly serious. "Stay with me here and never leave."

He looked away painfully. "You know I have to help look for Bella," he pouted. "I'm the only one who knows about the other pack."

Jessica slid off of him in an instant and sat on the edge of the bed so her bare back was facing him. "Fine," she shot coldly. "You go, and I'll wait here for you to come back."

Jacob put his hand on her cold shoulder and sighed. "I'm not leaving you here, it's not safe. What about your friends? You don't even want to let them know you're okay, or that you're in love with a werewolf? Shouldn't you at least see them one more time before you commit yourself to a lifetime of loneliness?"

"How can I be lonely if I have you?" she asked, spinning around to face him again.

"Just come back with me tomorrow," he urged. "We'll stay and help find Bella, and then, if you still decide it's what you want, I'll leave behind all civilization and live with you in a cave if I have to."

Jessica smiled at the thought of living the rest of her life with him and only him. "Alright," she sighed, resolved. "I'll leave with you tomorrow. I won't enjoy it though."

He laughed and leaned forward to kiss her again, running his hand slowly down her skin, his copper contrasting with her pale white.

* * *

"Bella, wake up!" Cold water splashed onto Bella's face, sending sharp needles across her skin, shocking her into consciousness. She forced herself into a sitting position and looked around at her surroundings, her heart beating heavily within her bruised chest. Disappointed, she realized that it was unfamiliar to her, and she felt a sob begin to rise up inside of her. She refused to allow herself to be scared though. Fear was much too powerful an emotion to let in right now, and these last few days had given her plenty of practice on suppressing her emotions.

"It's about time you woke up," the voice spoke again, and Bella was shocked to find it to be pleasantly familiar. She spun around, hardly daring to believe that she had heard correctly, but sure enough, standing off to the side of the bed that she was sitting on stood Alice, looking as short and pixie like as Bella remembered her.

"Alice?" she asked weakly, the shock of this new revelation was mind blowing and Bella instinctively suspected foul play.

Alice didn't say anything for a moment, just smiled quizzically, her large, dark eyes never leaving Bella's. "You were out for a long time," she finally said as she glided to the bed and sat next to her. "Almost two days."

Bella tried not to think about the last thing she had seen before she had blacked out, and instead moved on to a different topic. "Um... where are we?"

"A hotel," Alice said lyrically as she placed a small hand on Bella's bruised cheek, the freezing cold soothing Bella's wound. "We're in a small town on the border of Washington and Oregon. It's cozy enough."

Bella pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she sighed, and Alice moved her hand from Bella's face.

"What happened to you Bella?" Alice's expression revealed the deepest caring and worry, and Bella felt her tear glands start to kick in.

"You mean you don't know?" Bella tried to suppress the tears but she couldn't, and they began to spill down her cheeks.

"Were you with the wolves?" Alice asked. She jumped up and walked over to a counter, returning to the bed in less than a few seconds, as she held out a tissue to Bella.

Bella only nodded, taking the tissue from Alice, though it stayed unused in her hand. This was the first time in almost a week that she was able to cry without being attacked for it, and she reveled in the feeling. "They aren't part of the Quileute tribe though," she explained. "They're like, descendants, from hundreds of years ago, I think. They didn't tell me much, but I overheard a lot of their conversations. I also know a little about the history of werewolves from the Quileute, so a lot of this I had to put together for myself, but I'm pretty sure it's all accurate. From what I can figure, before werewolves even existed, they were spirit warriors instead."

Alice nodded, not asking any questions, just listening to what Bella had to tell her.

"One of the spirit warriors went rogue," Bella continued, "and tried to take over the others. It worked, for a while, but eventually he was overthrown and killed. That's when the spirit warriors became werewolves in the first place, was because of the rightful chief who became one with the body of a wolf in order to reclaim his rightful throne. The rogue spirit warrior had children though, and when he was killed, his children just disappeared and no one questioned where they had gone to, as long as they were gone.

"Well, apparently, the rogue warriors eventually became werewolves themselves, and they formed an allegiance together for revenge on the Quileute tribe. These wolves who kidnapped me were the descendants of those original rebel spirit warriors, back for revenge on the tribe that killed their father."

Alice's face looked distant and distracted, as if she was trying to put together some ort of puzzle in her head. "So, if they're after the Quileute tribe, why did they kidnap you? You're not part of that tribe."

"They needed to kidnap the pack leader's mate," Bella said softly.

"But Sam's the pack leader," Alice reasoned. "Besides, you're not a dog's mate at all."

"According to the blood lineage," Bella explained, "Jacob is supposed to be the pack leader. Jake didn't want the job though, so he let Sam keep it. The rogue wolves go by the blood lines though, so to them, Jacob is the pack leader.

"And because Jacob is in love with you, they thought that you were his mate," Alice figured out. "Wow..."

"Once they realized that Jacob didn't even know I was missing," Bella continued, "they were going to kill me and figure out another way of baiting him, but I escaped before they got their chance."

"That was when I was able to see your future again," Alice said, filling in the gaps. "I saw you finding..." her voice trailed off, and she looked away. "I tried to get there in time to stop you from seeing them, but I was too late."

"Yeah," Bella mumbled, ignoring the painful pounding in her chest. "I noticed."

"So," Alice forced after a brief awkward silence, "is Jessica still with the wolves?"

"They took Jessica Stanley too?" Bella's mouth fell open in shock. "Why?"

"No," Alice replied bitterly. "I can't remember her last name. It was Chicken, or Steak, or some food like that."

"The wolves I was with hadn't captured anyone else while I was with them," Bella said strangely. "Who is this other Jessica?"

Alice was silent for a moment, as if she wasn't sure how to continue. "One of four humans who have unfortunately crossed out paths."

"Are they trustworthy?" Bella asked softly.

A low grown rose up in Alice's throat. "They are manipulating our family in ways not even they could comprehend. The Jessica girl went into the woods the other day and ran into werewolves. She hasn't been found yet. Then there's Daisha, who went to Seattle with some friends, and when I look into her future, I can't see anything but darkness and pain. Then Sarah, who... She was with Edward. And then there's Joe..."

Bella immediately caught on to the violent malevolence that scoured Joe's name, and her curiosity got the better of her. "Who's Joe?"

"He seems to have some sort of effect on Jasper," she explained. "I would imagine it's something similar to your effect on Edward."

Bella gasped. "You don't mean... Jasper didn't..."

"He did," Alice grimaced. "Oh, he did. That's why we're in this hotel instead of at my home right now. As long as Joe is living there, I refuse to be in the same house as him."

"Oh..." Bella sighed.

Alice slid her ice cold hand onto Bella's shoulder and squeezed it gently, sending a slight shock of pain through Bella's body. There's wasn't an inch of her body that wasn't bruised. "Are you sure you're okay?" Alice asked her. "I know what you're going through, with what you saw in the clearing, and you're not exactly the champion of dealing with unpleasant emotions."

Bella laughed meekly, with no real feeling in it. Slowly, however, the laugh grew and grew until sharp peals of hysterics were ripping from Bella. Alice wondered for a moment if she wasn't going insane until she saw the fresh tears rolling down her cheeks and she realized that Bella wasn't laughing. She was sobbing.

"I don't understand," Bella cried as she threw herself onto Alice, latching on to her dearest friend with all her life. "He said he loved me, how could he... How..."

"I know," Alice whispered as she pulled Bella in and held her. "I know." For the very first time since she became a vampire so many years ago, Alice was sure that if her tear ducts worked, she would be crying along with Bella.

* * *

Joe slowly got to his feet and squinted his eyes in the sunlight. It was bright orange and dimming, and Joe forced his sluggish mind to do the math. He must have been out for at least almost a whole day. The light made the pounding in his head intensify, so he forced himself to look away from it. He was facing a dark alley, already being cast in the evening shadows. In a flash, last night events rushed into him, and he took a step back. Panic stricken, he tried to piece together the evening. They had been looking for Mike's car... They went into an alley for a short cut, and then... They were attacked. Mike and Ben were killed, and Joe went looking for Daisha. It was a vampire, and Joe was trying to distract it, to lure it away from Daisha, and then he tripped...

Joe examined the entrance to the alley and heard a large, rumbling grown emerge from it. With fear in his stomach, he took several steps back, not ready to face what was in the alley, but then... A garbage truck emerged from the alley, its freshly collected trash held inside of it. Joe dashed aside to let it go by, and then he slowly walked into the alley to search for Daisha. Nothing stood out to Joe as unnatural except for a pool of dark, stagnant liquid lying by a dumpster. In the shadows, Joe couldn't be sure if it was blood or not, but it looked ominous enough to warrant caution. He looked around for a body to go with the supposed blood, but none was to be found. Joe sighed and backtracked, searching for the entrance to the alley they had all been attacked in. After a few minutes, he finally came to it and headed down it. After a few minutes, he was greeted with a sight that made his stomach hurl, and he had to fight to keep himself from getting sick.

Ben's and Mike's body parts lay scattered about haphazardly, blood strewn everywhere, and god knows what else splattered against the walls.

"I was waiting for you," Tyler said softly as he stood from his crouched position behind a trash can. He was gripping something shiny tightly in his hands. With a closer look, Joe realized it was Mike's keys. "I didn't know if you were still alive or not, but I couldn't leave. You know?" His voice was shaking precariously, and Joe was tempted to reach out and comfort him, but he restrained himself.

"Daisha's gone," he said quietly instead. "I don't know if she's... But I couldn't find a body."

"What was that thing?" Tyler asked.

"I don't know," Joe lied quickly. "Here," he said suddenly, reaching out and taking the keys from him. "I'll drive you to your house. We probably shouldn't be here when they find the bodies, you know?"

"I guess," Tyler said slowly. "Shouldn't we call someone though?"

"Yeah," Joe said after a few seconds thought, "but I don't want to wait around here. Call them from the car."

The ride back on the interstate was completely silent except for Tyler's anonymous tip off to the police about the dead bodies in the alley. By now, the sun had set completely. No stars were visible in the smoggy Seattle air, and even the moon above was hidden.

"Ugh," Joe grumbled. "This garbage truck could drive a little faster than 45 on the interstate."

Tyler didn't respond, just stared sullenly out the window.

"Wait..." Joe squinted into the darkness. "What's that?"

Tyler glanced ahead at the garbage truck and let his mouth fall open. "Is that... an arm?"

* * *

Daisha was slowly waking up. The unforgiving fire that had relentless consumed her for the past twenty four hours was beginning to fade slowly to a numbing, pounding pain. She could at least see again, and it was like she had never seen before. She had never had good eyesight, and had worn glasses for most of her life. However, now without her glasses she could pick out even the tiniest of details from the farthest distance. She watched a solitary fly buzz around in the dark night with perfect clarity, examining each of its tiny gossamer wings as they flapped hundreds of times per second. She grimaced anxiously as she moved her broken ankle, and was shocked to feel that there was no pain at all. She rolled it around freely in its socket, surprised at the distinct absence of any pain. She began to notice more details about her surroundings slowly. She noticed that she was on something squishy and not very comfortable. Whatever it was, it was moving too. She could feel the wind rush by her, and the vibrations below her. As she stretched out slowly, she amazed in the strength she now seemed to possess. She could feel her menacing muscles as they expanded and contracted, the sheer power of them practically rolling off of her. She clenched her fists as tightly as she could and was surprised to feel how cold they were, as if she was holding ice within her tight fists. The hardness of her skin too shocked her, and she began to piece together what must have happened to her in the alley. Suddenly, without any explanation, she was gone.

It was as if she was somewhere else, watching herself on a television. She was no longer in control of her impossibly strong, impossibly beautiful body. All thoughts were driven from her head except for one other, and it overpowered all her senses.

Hunger.

Like lightning, she was standing upright in an instant, the harsh wind from the interstate she was riding on not having any effect on her balance. She looked around in a pure frenzy, searching for something, anything, that she could eat. Something smelled delicious, impossibly alluring, and she sought it out with the eyes of the most powerful of hunters. The demonic, lustful scent was driving her insane, and she desperately spun around, searching for what caused it. Behind her, people in a white SUV were staring ludicrously at her, but that was unimportant. The only thing that mattered was to find the source of the aroma that was driving her mad. She turned again and faced the cab of the truck, finally pinpointing the precise location of the delectable odor. It was coming from inside of the cab.

In less than a second, without even taking time to gather her thoughts or plan something out, she realized that she was already ripping apart the metal that separated her from the delicious meal inside. She clawed through the steel as if it were nothing more than paper, and out of sheer reflex, she plunged her nails, which were still caked in dried blood and dirt, into the driver's flesh, ripping into him as easily as if he was butter. She began tearing into his rib cage, ignoring the cries and pleas of agony coming from him. She smiled and dove into the gaping wound she had created head first, filling herself with anything and everything, not concerned with only taking out the blood, instead devouring all that she came too. At some point, the large garbage truck ran off the road and went spiraling through the air, sending garbage everywhere and causing one of the worst pileups in Seattle traffic history. Daisha, however, couldn't have cared less. She took no notice to her surroundings, only concerned with giving into her unsatisfiable gluttony. In about four minutes, the man's corpse had been completely drained of blood and lay scattered about the cab of his truck, each piece being devoured separately.

Emerging from the cab, Daisha noticed the glow in the night air of the wreck on the highway, and she vaguely wondered how she didn't notice such a terrible wreck. Then the smell of all the blood around her permeated her senses, and she felt herself losing control over her new body again. She struggled to maintain power over herself, but the urge to feed was too powerful, and she sauntered forward towards the nearest vehicle. The white SUV that had been following the garbage truck earlier now lay on its side, and Daisha peered inside expectedly. Disappointed, however, she retreated. There was only one dead body in the passenger seat, and that wasn't much of a challenge at all. Then she heard the voice.

"Daisha?"

She turned and saw someone standing about twenty feet away from her. She instantly recognized him as Joe, and something in the back of her mind clicked at seeing his face. However, his face was also splattered with blood, as was the rest of his body. He was bleeding from somewhere, and the smell was almost too heavenly for Daisha to believe. Violently, she snarled, sending waves of hostility towards Joe.

She wanted him to run, to give her a chase. She could test out her new strength, her new speed. She wanted to have to fight for her meal. However, from the looks of things, it didn't seem that Joe was going to run, so Daisha crouched, ready to spring.

Joe saw Daisha's pale skin glimmer in the light of the fire, saw her red eyes narrow into a scowl. Joe was amazed; even though he knew it was Daisha, she hardly looked like herself anymore. She was, for lack of a better word, beautiful. Somewhere along the line, her glasses seemed to have been knocked off, but she didn't seem to need them now. Joe recognized the look in her blood red eyes, the insanity, the dementia.

"Daisha," Joe frowned as he held his hands out, "I know you're still in there. I know you won't hurt me, I know..."

But Daisha was through with listening. The burning was completely gone, and with it, her senses. She dashed at him with lightning speed and Joe clenched his eyes shut in anticipation of his own death.


	10. You Can Run

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 10 -- You Can Run**

Edward leaped out of nowhere and slammed into Daisha, causing the sound of a rockslide on sheer granite. Joe crouched and covered his ears with his hands, squinting his eyes shut as Edward continue to wrestle with Daisha a few yards away, her snarling attempts to rip at Joe's flesh penetrating his attempts to block it out. Sarah screamed from somewhere and Joe could feel her pulling him up and away from the vicious monsters.

Joe's breath came out in heavy pants and he could feel himself being dragged into a car that he didn't recognize. As soon as he and Sarah were both inside, the door was slammed shut by someone, and the roar of an engine forced Joe back into reality as he was sped away from the flaming wreckage in a matter of seconds.

In the driver's seat sat Carlisle, his stony face hiding any emotion as he drew the insanely speeding car further and further away from the scene of carnage behind them. Jasper was in the passenger seat, though turned around, facing Sarah, Joe, and Rosalie in the back seat of the surprisingly spacious vehicle.

"Um..." Joe shook his arm free from Sarah's steel grip and looked around the car. "What's going on?" When no one answered him for several minutes, he decided to try again. "How did you guys know where to find me?"

"Alice," Jasper said, looking directly at him.

Joe's eyes widened. "She came back?"

"No," Carlisle sighed slowly, his previously distant expression now one of unreadable emotion. "A few weeks ago, Alice saw major car crash sometime in the future on the interstate. We were watching it last night because we knew you and Daisha went to Seattle without telling anyone, which, by the way, was incredibly stupid."

Joe sat silent in the backseat in between Sarah and Rosalie, unable to make a comment to defend himself. So many deaths had been caused tonight because of him. The pain of the guilt that was now pressing in on him wasn't enough to keep him completely quiet though. "What's going to happen to Daisha?" he asked quietly, almost afraid of being reprimanded for speaking through the immense tension that filled the car.

After a small pause, Carlisle spoke, his face and voice once more composed and hidden. "Edward will be taking her somewhere far away and helping her to control what she's become."

"Will she ever be the same?" Joe asked with worry seeping into his voice.

"It's hard to say," Jasper spoke this time, keeping his dark eyes trained on Joe's. "It could take years before she returns to a controlled state, and even then, she'll never be the same girl she once was. It all just depends on how quickly she can learn to control her hunger."

Joe's gut turned cold at the thought of Daisha going through torture like that, the pain, the anguish.

Sarah's gut turned cold at the thought of Edward being gone for as long as several years. She was just beginning to trust their relationship and now it was gone. She closed her eyes and fought back the tears that were trying to fight free from her.

"So," Joe said slowly, trying not to upset the temporary balance that seemed to exist inside the vehicle. "Where are we going?"

"Back to our home," Carlisle said coldly. "We need to have a conversation with everyone that's left." The tone in his voice was final and threatening, and Joe couldn't help but fear the man that once seemed so calm and perfectly controlled.

The remainder of the drive was made in complete silence, no one daring to make another sound after the finality of Carlisle's last words. After what seemed like an eternity, the smooth, black car pulled off of the main road and onto the hidden path at a speed that didn't seem possible for the sharp curve. As they approached the large white house, Joe noticed that all the lights in the house were on, and it cast a strange, out of place glow around the area.

The vampires were the first out of the car, not waiting for the humans who struggled along at normal speed. Sarah and Joe looked at each other as if they were walking to their execution, and they knew that whatever awaited them inside the beautiful home they had dreamed about so much couldn't be good.

Inside the door, Emmet and Esme were standing together against the far wall, with Carlisle next to the large sofa, and Rosalie stood next to the front door with Jasper. As Joe and Sarah entered, they realized that they were positioned in the center of the room with the vampires fashioning a loose circle around them. Sarah reached out and grabbed onto Joe's arm, her nails digging into his skin.

"So," Carlisle began, his smooth voice darker and more menacing than anyone was used to. "Since you and your friends have arrived here in Forks, nothing less than the most dangerous and insane series of strange and unfortunate consequences have occurred. Not only has Bella gone missing, but so has one of your own. Your other friend is now the cause of several deaths, and has been turned into an extremely feral and violent newborn vampire. The two of you that are fortunate to still be alive have found some way to seduce two of our own, ripping my family apart and forcing us against each other in the process. You've been here for four days and you're already destroying things that we, that I, have spent centuries trying to create and protect. Not to mention the werewolves that are out there somewhere, plotting something we have no way of defending ourselves against.

"While this may not seem to be fair to the two of you, we have no other alternative. Sarah, you and Joe need to leave Forks immediately."

"We can't --" Joe began, but was cut off instantly.

"Yes," Carlisle glared at him threateningly. "You can, and you will. We have rogue werewolves running around and we're already two members short of our own family. Those odds are bad enough without worrying about the protection of you two, and your insipid bad luck would only make matters worse.

"But our friends," Sarah said softly, hardly raising her voice above a whisper. "You can't expect us to leave them behind. Jessica could still be alive, and Daisha..."

"There's nothing else you could do for Daisha," Esme said in her honey voice. "She'll stay here with us if she chooses, or she'll go off on her own. Either way, you can't help her. And as for Jessica..." Esme's voice trailed off, only to be picked up by Jasper.

"When we find her," he said steadily, looking directly into Joe's eyes still, as if attempting to explain something more to him without speaking, "we'll tell her the same thing we're telling you now."

Joe averted his gaze from Jasper and hung his head. He knew they had lost and nothing could be done to help their case.

"Alright, we'll go," Joe said, his voice cracking. He began walking towards the stairs to collect his things when Rosalie cut him off.

"All your stuff is in the car already," she frowned apologetically at Joe, then looked away.

"Right..." Joe turned and walked toward the door. Sarah joined him, and he wasn't surprised to see tears streaming silently down her face. Joe reached his hand out and placed it on the cool door handle, pulling the heavy oak door open. He stopped suddenly and peered out into the illuminated yard, immobile. Sarah let out a small gasp beside him and took several steps back.

"What is it?" Carlisle asked, already at the door before his sentence was completely finished.

Forming a line across the front lawn were about fifteen enormous, dark colored wolves. Their fur grew in rough patches, dirt and mud clotting their visage. Deep, yellow eyes peered towards the Cullen house across the damp grass.

"Those aren't Quileutes," Carlisle muttered. "What's going on?"

Then, from the middle of the battalion, the largest wolf, the leader of the pack, let out an earsplitting roar, causing Joe and Sarah to scramble backwards. Without any further ado, the leader launched itself through the damp air, its fangs glinting in the light from the house, followed immediately by the rest of its pack.

In less time than it took Joe and Sarah to realize what was happening, the front door was slammed shut, and Joe and Sarah were soon being shoved backward by something very hard and very cold, being ushered away from the front door. Inaudible muttering could be heard above their heads, and then they were both lifted several feet off the floor and were being carried away. As they were being led through an unidentified door by a vampire, a tumultuous, splintering crash from behind them could be heard as the front door was crushed to make room for the werewolves that began to stream into the Cullen's home.

There was a loud click, and then immediate darkness, and Joe could feel Sarah clutched against him as the wind whizzed by them from the speed they were being carried. Unable to see, Joe inhaled deeply, only to realize that he recognized the scent of the vampire holding them. Jasper was carrying them somewhere that was pitch black at a speed Joe hadn't thought possible, but where were they going, and how did they get here? The comfort of being with Jasper lasted only a split second as Joe realized that behind them, Carlisle, Rosalie, Esme, and Emmett were left to fight fifteen werewolves alone.

Finally, after several more minutes, Jasper slowed and set Joe and Sarah down. It took several minutes for them to regain their bearings and be able to stand on their own.

"Where the hell are we?" Joe asked loudly, not sure where Jasper or Sarah was. He could see nothing in the pitch blackness.

"A tunnel," Jasper retorted.

"Really?" Joe asked sarcastically. "Not sure I could've figured that one out on my own."

"Joe, shut up," Sarah shot out. "Where does the tunnel go, Jasper?" she asked calmly.

"Canada," was Jasper's only response, and Joe couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

"Why Canada?" Sarah responded.

"You two are going to Denali," Jasper informed them to shocked silence. "You'll stay with Tanya and her clan until we can come retrieve you and let you know it's safe to leave."

"When you say us two," Joe asked, realization entering him, "you mean..."

"You and Sarah," Jasper said quickly. "I need to go back, my family needs me."

"Oh..." Joe said softly.

"Follow this tunnel until it ends," Jasper said. "Then you'll come to a road. Follw the road west and it will lead you straight to Denali. You know what we look like, it shouldn't be too difficult to find the coven, but Joe..." Jasper paused for a second. "I need to have a word with you in private."

Joe felt Jasper's cold grip on his wrist as he was lead a ways in one direction. Finally, they stopped.

"I know this isn't right," Jasper explained, "and I know it's caused too many problems, but I can't help myself. You're something to me, Joe. I don't know it is yet, but it's something important. This isn't goodbye. I'll come back for you when it's safe. "

"I'm sorry," Joe whispered, but Jasper cut him off. The frozen feeling of the vampire's lips against his made him stop, and then Joe gave into the rush of emotions that was flooding him. The kiss was harsh, quick, and meaningful, as if each of them were trying to express their feelings in one quick kiss.

Finally, it broke off and Jasper turned away. Joe could hear his footsteps echo down the tunnel until they were gone, and it left an all consuming sadness in Joe's chest. Slowly, he turned in the opposite direction that Jasper ran and walked until he found Sarah again.

"Come on," he sad, pulling her to her feet. "We've got to get to fucking Canada, eh?"

She managed a weak laugh in response. "So, we both lose our guys in one day, huh?"

"Neither of them are lost," Joe encouraged as they walked in the direction they assumed they were supposed to go in. "They'll both be back eventually."

"Yeah," she sniffed, "but will we?"

As they continued on into a different country in silence, Joe thought to himself that Sarah had a point. They had no way of knowing what the future held, not without Alice, and it didn't look very bright from where they were standing. Even if the Cullens did somehow miraculously manage to survive the surprise slaughter of of the werewolves, would they even be welcomed back? Sure, Jasper said he'd come for them, but in the end, his allegiance would lie with his family. Joe sighed. He crossed his arms; it was cold.

* * *

Jessica slowly lifted herself from the comfortable bed she had been almost permanently residing in and lowered her damaged leg gingerly to the ground. She winced as pain went traveling from her leg into the rest of her body. Though it still hurt, it was definitely improving at a quick pace. She was pleasantly surprised. She looked around the cozy bedroom and saw her jeans lying in a pile in the far corner of the room.

"Do I really have to put them on?" she asked, allowing a bit of a whine to enter her voice.

"Unfortunately, yes," he laughed as he crossed the room to retrieve them for her. "I don't like it anymore than you do, but it is customary to be fully clothed in public, and we'll be heading through a few towns today." He bent down to pick up Jessica's jeans and tossed them to her as he reached over to the dresser and picked up his own pair of cutoffs. "See, it's not so bad," he said with a sly smile as he slowly slid his loose pants on up and over his bare skin, covering his russet skin more than Jessica would have liked.

She pouted her lips and frowned. After it became clear to her that Jacob wasn't budging, she lifted her jeans up into the air at him. "Well, I'm going to need some help with this..."

"Of course," Jacob smiled and bowed slightly, and in one fluid movement, crossed the room and had her jeans in his hands. He crouched down, sliding them up her pale legs, kissing his way up them as he slowly made his way higher and higher until Jessica the jeans were on and buttoned. "There," Jacob whispered into her ear when he finished. "That wasn't so bad."

"No," she giggled, "it wasn't."

Without warning, Jacob suddenly scooped her up into his arms and carried her outside into the woods. The sun was only just beginning to rise in the pale blue sky, and Jessica thought it was the second most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. He nuzzled her neck with his chin and held her tightly in the chilly morning air, his warmth providing an effective shield against anything unpleasant.

"Shall we?" Jacob asked her with his goofy grin, and when Jessica nodded, he began running at a quick but steady pace into the deep surrounding woods.

They continued at the same pace for nearly an hour, each of them merely enjoying each others company and the surrounding nature. Jacob enjoyed pointing out things too far away for Jessica's normal eyes to perceive, and Jessica enjoyed watching as Jacob's eyes lit up when he saw something particularly beautiful. Then, in a sudden movement, they skidded to a complete stop, Jacob's neck craned painfully, his ears at full power.

"What is it?" Jessica asked, looking around expectantly.

"Shhhh..." His face was hard and serious, and it scared Jessica. He set her down gently and she leaned against a tree for support, keeping her broken leg from touching the ground. "Stay here," Jacob said softly as he began walking away. "Don't move, and don't make a sound."

In an instant, Jacob was gone as he dashed away through the trees, leaving Jessica completely alone. She stood there for several minutes, nothing to occupy her attention but the distinct stillness all around her. What was beautiful was now ominous; what was serene was now eerie.

Then a girl appeared in front of Jessica. She was pale with dark brown hair and a plain sort of face. In fact, Jessica thought as the two girls eyed each other, they looked very similar. If the setting had been any different, Jessica thought they could have been mistaken for sisters. The other girl didn't have freckles or braces like Jessica did, and she was a little taller than Jessica was, but the effect was remarkably disorienting. Something in Jessica's mind suddenly clicked, and she realized who this other girl must be.

"Bella?" Jessica asked in a quiet whisper.

Bella surveyed her with mistrust and wariness. "How do you know my name?"

Jessica smiled. "Long story. I'm not an enemy though, I swear. Where have you been?"

Bella's expression continued to read skepticism, but she took a few steps forward. "Who are you?"

"My name is Jessica," she replied with a relieved smile.

Bella immediately shone with recognition. "You're the Jessica who got kidnapped too!"

"I wasn't kidnapped," Jessica shot back. "What makes you think I was kidnapped?"

"Alice," Bella responded simply.

"You're with Alice?" Jessica questioned. "Where's everyone else?"

"Alice left alone," Bella explained quickly, "and found me. But if you weren't kidnapped then what are you doing out here, and with a broken leg?"

"Well, I was attacked," Jessica shuddered at the memory of it, "by a werewolf, but then Jacob found me and I've been with him ever since."

"Jacob?!" Bella shrieked. "What? He's here? Where?"

"He just left," Jessica said sullenly. "He heard something I think, probably you."

"Is he okay?" Bella asked softly as she approached Jessica quickly. "Or is he still, you know, upset about Edward and I?"

"I'm sure he's still upset," Jessica said slowly, wondering if she should reveal Jacob's recent imprinting. "But not as much as he used to be."

"Why?" Bella asked, catching on to Jessica's evasive tone.

"Well," Jessica sighed, seeing no other way. "He sort of imprinted."

"He did?" Bella asked ridiculously. "Out here? On who?"

"On me," Jessica replied shortly.

"Oh..." Bella gazed at Jessica differently now, as if appraising her, and Jessica didn't like it. The look in her eyes held disapproving disappointment. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Jessica said smugly. "Just call me Mrs. Black."

"Jessica?" a third voice suddenly came from the trees and both girls turned to look at who it was. Alice, short and pixie like as ever, danced through the trees towards them. "You're alive?"

"And in possession of Jacob's heart, apparently," Bella shot out with venom.

There was stunned silence for a moment, until Alice spoke again with disgust. "You let a dog imprint on you?"

"That's right," exclaimed Jacob loudly as he too joined the others. "Hello Alice," he greeted. "So that was your stench I was picking up earlier. Good to know."

"Oh Jake," Alice replied nonchalantly. "Ever the charmer."

Jacob ignored her and turned to Bella, a mystified look in his eyes. "Bella," he said softly. "I'm so glad you're okay." Bella looked at him with an odd expression as she bit her lower lip, though she remained silent.

Alice's tone suddenly turned serious. "We don't have time to chat. Do either of you have a clue about how bad things have gotten in Forks?"

Jacob and Jessica just looked at each other, no clue as to what Alice was talking about.

"Well, here's a slight recap for you," she said as she too leaned against a tree.  
Joe and Jasper hooked up, so I skipped town and came down here where I found Bella right as we both witnessed Sarah and Edward kiss. I tried to stop Bella from seeing it, but I didn't get there in time, so the two of us have been hiding out here like the rejected girls teenage girls we are. Meanwhile, back at home Daisha went and got herself bitten by some vampire, so now she's one of us. Edward's with her on an island somewhere trying to help her control herself, but I don't see how that's possible. The girl didn't have any control when she was a human, I don't think she'll be faring any better as a vampire. So the rest of the family decided to send Joe and Sarah back home to wherever you strange humans came from, and then they all disappeared from my vision, which means somewhere along the line, werewolves have entered the equation. Since then, the only ones to reappear in my vision are Joe and Sarah, and they're going to try and get to Denali with Tanya and her clan where they can stay for all I care.

The point of all this is that there's a bunch of pissed off werewolves attacking my family over you, Jacob. So you're coming with me and Bella to set everything right. Got it?"

Jacob and Jessica stood there for a moment before Jacob could finally speak again.

"Wait..." Jacob said slowly, gathering his thoughts. "Why are the rogue wolves after me?"

"Ugh!" Alice snarled menacingly. "I'll explain on the way there. Right now, you need to grab your soulmate, or whatever she is, and let's get the hell out of here!"

"Wow," Jacob replied as he bent down to place Jessica softly in his arms. "You're terrifying, you know that?"

Alice scooped Bella up as well and tossed her hair back to look at him. Her worried frown stretched into a wide snarl that showed every one of her frighteningly jagged teeth.

"Thanks," she growled.

And they ran.

**A/N: **Thank you all **SO** much for all of your reviews, I really love getting feedback from all of you. Even though I know some of it wasn't what you all wanted to read, I really appreciate you sticking through it. When I wrote this the first time on paper, I originally did it in two separate parts with thirteen chapters in each part. I think now on the internet I'm going to be doing the second part as a separate story. I'll give more info on that when it comes up, but just forewarning you guys that when this story ends, there's actually more to come. If you want it. Thanks again for all your support, and the real Sarah, Jessica, Joe, and Daisha LOVE hearing you guys' feedback as well. Till next time!


	11. Alliances

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 11 -- Alliances**

The cool mist drizzled down heavily on the soaked grass, the sun above hidden behind the perpetually thick clouds in the overcast sky. Jessica's feet squelched disgustingly as she was placed on the ground in front of what looked to be the remains of the Cullen's house. Her leg throbbed dully but she remained resolute, standing on her own. Even so, Jacob's arm around her shoulder seemed to provide an inner warmth inside of her that she didn't recognize.

Alice paused only long enough to place Bella on the grass by Jacob and Jessica, and then she continued dashing up to the large, gaping hole where the front door used to be. In the time it took Jacob, Jessica, and Bella to reach the dilapidated porch, Alice had searched the entire house for any remains of her family, but there was none to be found.

"Damn it!" she cried out loudly, punching one of the broken support beams that once held up the front porch. It went flying through the air and landed heavily in the drenched yard. Alice stood completely still for several minutes, not even so much as pretending to breathe like she normally did. Bella approached her slowly and placed her hand on Alice's shoulder. They all stood like that for some time, no one wanting to say anything to break the deafening silence.

"Jaser..." Alice muttered finally, her eyes clenched shut tightly.

Jessica heard something move in the grass behind her and she spun around suddenly on one leg, throwing herself off balance. Jacob caught and steadied her easily and the two of them searched for the source of the shuffling noise. Behind them, Alice let out an audible gasp at what she saw moving on the ground.

A disembodied arm was dragging itself across the yard towards them. It had perfectly manicured nails, despite the thin layer of mud and dirt that crusted them now.

"Rosalie!" Alice shrieked and rushed out, pushing past Jacob and Jessica before they could even move. She bent down and gently lifted the beautiful arm and it froze as soon as it was touched. Alice looked at it dumbfounded, unable to contemplate the different things that this meant. Then suddenly, the arm began thrashing about violently, its vicious nails being used as claws in order to free itself from its captor. Alice dropped it immediately and they all watched as it continued dragging itself along pitifully towards the obscenely destroyed house. After a few seconds, Alice raised her eyes to the sky as if she was searching for something. It didn't take long for her to find it -- off in the distance, rising high above the treetops, a single, thick pillar of smoke climbed through the air.

With a mangled cry Alice ran forward, leaving the other three far behind her.

"Should we follow her?" Jessica asked, looking at her two companions.

"Probably," Bella sniffed softly, and Jessica was surprised to see she was crying. "We have to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

Slowly, the three of them headed into the woods towards the ominous tower of smoke, each of them carrying a distinct feeling of dread in what they would find.

* * *

Joe's legs burned as if they were on fire, and Sarah didn't know how much longer she could continue along this tunnel if she didn't get some water quickly, but still they walked. Neither of them had any clue as to how much longer this tunnel could go, but they had been wandering in the pitch blackness hand in hand for what felt like hours now. The tunnel seemed to be much more difficult to navigate than Jasper initially made them think. It was far from a straight shot, but instead it seemed to twist and turn, rise and sink without warning, and several times Joe and Sarah wondered if they had gotten turned around somewhere, but still they continued.

Neither of them had spoken in hours, choosing instead to focus their efforts on just breathing. That was difficult enough. On and on they walked, past the point of exhaustion and over their limits, until they were brought back harshly into reality.

"Ouch!" Joe yelled as he walked directly into a wall. He stepped back, rubbing his forehead, and Sarah stopped just in time to avoid meeting the same fate as her friend. They each silently felt along the walls until they came to the abrupt conclusion that there was no continuation of the tunnel; it just ended.

"What do we do now?" Joe asked through the darkness, the hoarseness of his voice surprising both of them.

"How am I supposed to know?" Sarah asked darkly. She sank to the floor, leaning against the far wall Joe had run into. She was breathing heavily and it felt good to take a break. "Do you think the Cullen's are okay?" she asked suddenly.

Joe waited a few minutes before responding, and from the sound of his voice, Sarah could tell he had sat down as well. "Yeah. They can handle a few wolves."

"I guess..." Sarah mumbled, unconvinced. "So everything is going to work out?"

"Everything will be great," Joe responded robotically, unable to force his voice to sound reassuring.

"I hope..." Sarah stopped suddenly, standing up. "Do you hear that?"

Joe heaved himself to his feet as well. "I don't hear anything but you."

"Shhh!" Sarah replied harshly.

Joe strained his ears to hear anything but their breathing, but he could hear nothing. Then, softly, as if it was his imagination, Joe heard voices.

They were gone as soon as they had appeared, and Joe looked around, trying to discern where they were coming from. At the same time, they both looked up at the ceiling. A tiny, thin ray of light shone through, so small it wasn't noticeable amidst the powerful darkness. The voices broke through once more, and both Sarah and Joe heard that they were getting closer. The light disappeared and reappeared suddenly as the source of the voices moved over the small hole. They were definitely women's voices, though their words were lost on the trip down the tiny hole that separated the two below from the rest of the world.

With a desperate cry, Joe forced his legs to lift him through the air and he hit hard against the ceiling where the hole was. Something shifted under his touch, and he let out a gleeful laugh. The sound of it felt odd in the tunnel of depression that Joe and Sarah had been in for the past uncountable hours, and it didn't last long. With renewed vigor, Joe jumped once more and pressed hard against the ceiling. A loud scraping sound could be heard and a large circular chunk of the ceiling was pushed aside as Joe went crashing back down to the ground.

The two of them shrieked suddenly as the harsh, blinding light shone through directly onto them. For several minutes they were disoriented as they attempted to reclaim their bearings. Once they were finally able to see again, Joe jumped and caught hold of one of the circular edges, hoisting himself up outside. He helped to pull Sarah out and the two of them sat blinking in the bright sunlight they had now found themselves in. Despite the sun beating down on them, it couldn't have been more than forty degrees outside. A small two lane highway stretched out in front of them, going on in both directions as far as they could see. To their right, two middle aged looking women were walking along the edge of it, unaware of the two teenagers that had suddenly emerged from the ground.

"The sun's over there," Sarah pointed in the direction the two women were walking, "and I think it's morning , so that means we need to go this way." She looked off in the direction that seemed desolate and flat, the road stretching out to nowhere. A few dead trees scattered the landscape, but that was hardly enough to provide either of them with inspiration to continue on with their miserable journey.

With a heavy sigh, they both began walking once more in the direction Sarah had pointed, exhaustion and hunger wearing them down on their quest of despair.

* * *

Jessica broke through the last line of trees first, hobbling slowly on her hurt leg, followed closely by Jacob, and finally Bella. In the middle of the small clearing, there was a large smoking fire pit. The burnt area occupied most of the clearing, but there was a small patch of unscathed grass off to the side. Alice could be seen dashing in and out of the still smoking hot fire pit, extracting small bits of what looked to be shining, white rock covered in ash. A twenty something looking man stood staring expressionless at the now lifeless fire.

"Sam!" Jacob called confused upon seeing him. "What are you doing here?"

Sam looked up slowly, his eyes blinking quickly upon seeing the boy standing there before him. "Jacob?"

"It's me Sam," Jacob said, a small smile on his face.

"But how..." Sam's face, usually so composed and hidden, was now contorted into a look of confusion. "You've been missing from the group plural for so long. We thought you were..."

"I just didn't want to be found," Jacob said quietly. Sam took immediate notice to the way Jacob had his arm wrapped protectively around Jessica's shoulder and his eyes narrowed.

"Did you..."

"Imprint?" Jacob finished his friend's sentence. "Yeah, on Jessica here."

"Incredible," Sam whispered. He couldn't help but flash a slight smile of approving towards Jacob, and the two of them shared a moment of reunited friendship.

"What are you doing here though?" Bella asked suddenly, breaking the small moment of peace.

"Last night," Sam explained, "we could feel the rogue wolves attacking. Apparently, some of our shared ancestry must have shown through in our blood, because we all knew exactly what was happening at the same time. We managed to surprise them and force them to fight us on two sides. It wasn't long after that before we finished most of them off. I think only two or three managed to escape. We didn't come fast enough for, um..." Everyone looked at him except for Alice who continued to rummage through the hot ashes, still searching for pieces of broken marble. "We didn't come fast enough to save everyone," Same continued, his voice lowering. "They got the beautiful one."

"Rosalie," Bella shuddered. She could feel her tears working themselves up again, and she didn't bother trying to fight them off.

"Yeah, her..." Sam grunted.

Alice growled lowly.

"Where are the others?" Jessica asked.

"Chasing the wolves that got away," Sam replied with a reluctant tone in his voice. He wished he was in on it.

"They're going to catch them too," Alice said with a fierce, unforgiving smile. "I can see them running north somewhere, and then they all disappear." Alice stood suddenly from her crouched position in the fire pit. She had retrieved the last remaining piece of Rosalie from the fire and had laid them all in the small area of green grass. "I'm going after them too. Sam?"

"Of course," Sam replied with a vindictive smile. "This is supposed to be our pack's fight in the first place. We wouldn't miss it for anything."

"If you think this fight is only between the wolves," Alice shot coldly, "you're sadly mistaken." She glided across the clearing to join them. "They want revenge on you, and we want revenge on them. We're all in this together."

Sam was silent for a moment, as if considering her words. Eventually, he nodded. "You're right, of course." He turned to face Jacob. "You're not bound to the pack anymore I assume, but your assistance would be greatly appreciated. Are you coming?"

Jessica tightened her grip on Jacob's hand and he shook his head regrettably. "Sorry, but I have to stay with Jessica."

Sam looked at Jessica with a similar look she had received from Bella just the day before, only instead of disapproval, Sam's expression held relief and love. "I understand." Without any further goodbyes, he turned and ran away, his form shifting as he ran off into the woods.

Alice turned to Bella suddenly. "You need to go home to Charlie," she said. "He'll need to see you."

"I know," she replied softly. "I want to anyway. I want him to see I'm okay."

"I can drop you off there before I head north." Alice spun around to look at Jacob and Jessica. "What are you two going to be doing?"

"I thought maybe I could work on your house while all of you were gone," Jacob said quickly, as if trying to avoid the fiery gaze Alice had him under. Bella couldn't ever remember seeing Alice this furious, and it frightened her. I'll leave with Jessica as soon as you and your family return," he assured her.

Alice paused, obviously not expecting the answer he had given her. "I don't like the thought of a mongrel living in my home while I'm gone, but I suppose it does need to be fixed." She sighed. "Fine, but whenever we return, you and your little soul mate clear out."

"Of course," Jacob said, unable to hide his growing smile.

Alice smiled too, for just a fraction of a second. A smile of appreciation. Then, in a flash, she was lifting Bella into her arms and dashing into the surrounding woods.

Jacob lifted Jessica up and started walking as well. Jessica frowned.

"You okay?" the werewolf asked her, looking into her eyes.

"No," Jessica replied, sorrow etched into her face. "My friends... Daisha's a vampire, and Joe and Sarah are in Alaska. Will I ever see them again?"

Jacob sighed. "I wish I could tell you. If they do come back, though, they'll be coming back to this house, where we'll be. So I think the chances of you seeing them again are pretty high. Nothing is guaranteed though, you know that."

As the walked through the large hole that took up most of the front of the house, Jessica's expression still hadn't loosened.

"What's wrong now?" Jacob asked her, worried.

"Tell me you'll never leave me." Jessica's eyes pleaded with his, her blue reflecting in his deep brown. "Tell me no matter what, you won't leave me."

"Never," he whispered into her mouth, and she tasted his sweet breath. Still, as he kissed her, she couldn't shake the feeling that their time together was limited, and it terrified her.


	12. Sunset

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 12 -- Sunset**

Joe and Sarah each walked down a separate side of the road in silence, the bright orange sun ahead of them, acting as their compass. The highway had long since ceased to exist after crossing into Alaska, and it was now a small, dirty one lane road. In some places, the pavement faded and cracked from lack of use, and weeds and other vegetation crept up sneakily. They hadn't passed a vehicle in hours, and it had been even longer since they had seen any signs of civilization anywhere. It was like walking into an entirely different world, one where silly things like cars and pollution didn't exist, and anything was possible. To Joe, this seemed like just the place vampires would live, not a small, homey town like Forks. It made sense to him that Tanya's clan preferred this extremely isolated environment. Sarah decided she much preferred Canada to Alaska; at least in Canada it was warm enough that you couldn't see your breath. It seemed that wherever they were headed, it stayed this cold all year round.

A sign ahead appeared on the horizon and Joe and Sarah headed towards it without any real enthusiasm. No doubt it would hold little new information for them, and as they got nearer and nearer, they realized they were right. Just like the last three signs they had passed, this one was the exact same, except for the steadily decreasing number on the right.

**Denali 36 Miles**

Sarah groaned heavily upon reaching it and kicked the sign angrily, causing frost to jump into the air.

"We're never going to survive all the way there!" Sarah cried out. "It's impossible. I'm ready to drop from exhaustion, and we still have another day's walk ahead of us. How are we going to stop for the night? We don't have anywhere to sleep, and I can't walk for much longer. It's so cold, we won't last..."

"Sarah!" Joe yelled, exasperated. "Don't be like that! If you keep thinking negative thoughts, negative things are going to happen. You just have to be sort of positive, you know? Even when things get crappy." He smiled meekly at his friend, hoping to improve her spirits.

"Right," she grumbled. "Just one foot in front of the other."

Joe laughed. "Just think," he said lightly, "when we finally get there, we'll be able to meet even more insanely beautiful women who want Edward just as much as you."

"Impossible," she replied darkly, "no one could possibly want Edward more than me."

Joe gave up on trying to cheer Sarah's spirits, instead choosing to keep his eyes on the sunset up ahead. The brilliant oranges and yellows, reds and purples blended together masterfully, the colors unmaimed by pollution or smog like they normally were. The thin, crisp air only seemed to magnify the effects of the warm sun, almost seeming to warm the two travelers as it slowly sunk into the earth for the night.

"Do you hear something?" Sarah had stopped a few yards back. Joe, being so entranced by the setting sun, had failed to notice.

"Um..." Joe paused for a moment, allowing himself to focus on the sounds around him. "Yeah, I think I do." He walked slowly backward until he was joined with Sarah once more. "What is it?"

"Footsteps," Sarah replied. Though the odd sound was far away, neither of them doubted the truth of Sarah's statement.

"They're fast," Joe said softly. "Too fast to be a person."

Together, the two of them looked around, searching the horizon for whatever could be running so quickly. What animal could make footsteps to heavy, and yet be so quick on their feet? Nothing but blankness and approaching darkness could be seen, however, and they continued down the road in silence once more. After perhaps another fifteen minutes, though, Sarah looked to her left and stopped in shock. Joe looked at her peculiarly.

"You okay?"

"Wolves," She whispered. "Look."

Joe followed her gaze and squinted his eyes, trying to see what Sarah could. After a few seconds, three dark spots on the white horizon could be seen. They were quickly gaining speed, and with each passing second their features became more defined.

"Oh my..." Joe exhaled loudly. "What do we do?"

Sarah looked around, confused. "We could run..."

"Okay," Joe agreed, "which way? Do we keep going to Denali, or do we run away from the wolves?"

"There's no way we could reach Denali before the the wolves catch us," Sarah said softly.

"Right." Joe looked around as if hoping to see some sort of miracle to get them our of this situation.

"Do you see something behind the wolves?" Sarah asked as she peered ahead. Joe looked where she was and stopped abruptly.

"It's people," he said.

"The Cullens!" Sarah screamed loudly.

"I wouldn't be too happy," Joe said glumly. "Even if it is the Cullens, what if the wolves catch us before they catch the wolves?"

Sarah was silent for a few moments, then she took a deep breath. Her legs were already screaming for rest, her entire body ached with exhaustion, but she had no choice. "Come on," she urged as she began running away from small road and away from the wolves.

Joe stared after her for only one moment before he too began running. As he ran he wished desperately for vampires to be faster than wolves.

* * *

Daisha was running. Well, running would be inaccurate. Flying would be a more appropriate term to use. Even faster than Edward, Daisha sped across the ground, not even looking to where she was going, not even knowing where she was, she just ran. She had escaped from Edward as he tried to teach her the rules to being a vampire. Bah, rules. Daisha didn't have to follow any rules. As long as she was away from humans, she could think clearly, and while didn't want to hurt anyone, the memory of how good people smell, how good they tasted, was too strong for her to resist. Besides, she was stronger and faster than any of the Cullens. As for the Volturi that Edward kept drilling into her head, she wasn't worried. If it ever came down to it, she was sure she could handle a few ancient vampires and their guard. Daisha just wanted to eat.

The hunger was so overpowering. The only thing she had eaten since the garbage man was a few elk, and that was nothing compared to warmth, the aroma, the delicacy that was human. She had hoped that she would happen upon a traveler of some sort and would be able to finish them off before Edward was able to catch up to her, but she had been running for hours now and had seen no sign of a single human.

Slowly, Daisha inhaled, taking in the scent of everything around her. All the normal smells were there: ice, water, air, trees, earth. Edward's annoying stench was far behind her by now, she could hardly tell it was there. But there was something else there too, something that was unfamiliar. It was sweet, but the trace of it was so thin that Daisha wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not. More deeply this time, she inhaled once more. Yes, there was definitely something there. She couldn't quite figure out what it was though. She ran through her mind, trying to place the smell with something she recognized. Finally, after several more miles of examining the beautiful scent, it hit her. Human.

Her mouth salivating already, she subconsciously shifted her direction, changed her coordinates to point her directly at where the smell was coming from. She could practically feel each of her senses hone in on this one, precious moment. Greedily, she gulped in mouthfuls of air, relishing in the sweet, sweet scent. She could hardly stand the anticipation. She pushed her stone legs to go faster than they already were, and she could feel them blurring with speed. The nearer to the smell she got, the more she could tell about it.

It smelled like two different humans, which was even better than one. The way their scents mixed together so fragilely, as if even the slightest of breezes could completely demolish such beauty, it was beginning to drive her insane. They couldn't be more than three miles away, and Daisha could feel herself start to lose control of her body, letting the animal within her take control. She was watching from behind her own eyes once more as she sped towards her highly anticipated meal.

And then, suddenly, as if a vacuum had sucked her back into focus, a new smell brought her crashing back down to earth. It was disgusting, like rotted hair and sour milk, the stench of it wafting through her nostrils threatened to overpower the delicious human smells. Slowly, the stench began to consume her, filling her with a volatile rage, one that she had never felt before. Even though she had never seen one before, she knew internally that there were werewolves around, and the disgusting rage was starting to overpower her hunger.

Then, once again, a new smell joined the mix. More vampires were behind the dogs, it smelled like. Disappointment swelled within her. She had wanted to take down the dogs herself, and now these new vampires were going to take them from her. That wasn't fair. She recalculated her plan, and decided that she would kill the dogs first, then move on and take the humans. She'd have to do it fast in order to beat the other vampires and Edward, but she would do it. She had to. Silently, she sped up even more as the humans entered her sight.

* * *

Joe and Sarah kept running, not knowing what else to do or where else to go. No matter how fast they ran, it was impossible to fool themselves into thinking that they could outrun the wolves. Before much longer, they would be caught, and then it would all be over.

WHAM! Joe felt his foot stick on something in the ground and he slammed into the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of him. His vision swam as he tried to force himself off the ground, but his legs didn't seem to want to be able to support him anymore. He glanced back and saw that a stray root had wrapped itself around his ankle.

"Joe, get up!" Sarah cried in anguish. Her eyes were glued to the three wolves that were now only minutes away from catching up with them. Joe struggled with the root, unable to untangle his ankle. Finally, with a wail of pain, he wrenched his foot straight up, pulling the root out of the ground. He forcefully pushed himself up and began running again, Sarah at his side.

Joe glanced over his shoulder a the wolves to see how much time they had left. He could see clearly some of the Cullens running behind them now. Emmett, Carlisle, Jasper, and Esme were sprinting towards them, but it was clear to Joe that they would never catch the wolves before the wolves caught them. The ferocity in the gigantic dog's eyes spelled murder to Joe, and he fearfully turned around and attempted to force his legs to push harder.

Out on the horizon ahead of Sarah and Joe, another figure could be seen running towards them. Both of the humans almost stopped running as soon as they caught sight of it. It was too much to believe that so many things could go wrong. Unaware of who this new figure was though, they continued running as quickly as they could towards it, refusing to surrender to their own inevitable deaths.

"Daisha..." Sarah mumbled in between gasps for air. Joe shot another glance at the oncoming figure and tried to make out any of its features in the dark. The sun had long since set and the darkness around was only penetrated by the moon high above in the sky. The pale light was enough though, and Joe could see a slight sheen of light reflected off of her marble skin as she sped towards them.

"Why does she look so pissed?" Joe wondered aloud. "Isn't she supposed to be with Edward?"

"Maybe she learned control," Sarah panted. "She's a fast learner."

Without warning, Sarah suddenly stopped, collapsing on the ground. "I can't keep running," she whispered while trying to catch her breath. "I'm sorry Joe."

Joe stopped and ran back to her. He too fell to the ground, grabbing her hand. "Come on Sarah," he urged. "We can do this."

"It's too late," Sarah gasped. "They'll be here soon."

Together they watched the oncoming wolves approach them at lightening speed, the Cullens dutifully behind them. Behind the Cullens, more figures were emerging from the darkness, and it looked like more wolves and a single human figure.

"Alice," Joe said softly when he recognized the tiny stature and the oping grace. "She's with more wolves."

"What the hell is happening?" Sarah moaned. "This is insane!"

"Well," Joe said in a mocking voice, "I suppose that's probably Edward behind Daisha then."

Sarah's neck whipped around, her eyes scouring the landscape for any sign of Edward. Sure enough, just as Joe claimed, a lone figure was running behind Daisha, off in the distance. It was too far away to make any details about it clear, but they couldn't think of anyone else it would be.

A loud roar made Joe and Sarah jump and look in the direction of the wolves, and they were rewarded with the sight of only fifteen yards in between them and their death. Together, they clenched their eyes shut and braced themselves for the ripping of flesh, the searing pain, but it never came. Instead, from directly above their heard, a malicious snarl ripped through the air and the sound of crunching bones reverberated. Joe and Sarah looked over to see Daisha entangled in all three wolves, masterfully holding off all three at the same time. She had her teeth buried into the neck of one, and she had somehow managed to have one of their heads beneath her foot. The other was preparing to leap at her when she whipped around, grabbing it by its tail. For a split second, one of the wolves managed to get its jaws around Daisha's leg and it seemed like it would turn the tide of the fight. However, as soon as Daisha's balance was thrown off by the wolf, Esme, Emmett, Carlisle, and Jasper struck hard, freeing Daisha from the wolves furry grasp.

"Joe! Sarah!" The two of them spun around at the sound of their names being called and saw Edward only about two hundred meters away and still running fast. "Get out of there!"

"Why?" Joe asked, rising to his feet as Sarah did the same.

"Daisha's distracted by the wolves now," Edward explained hastily as he approached them, "but as soon as the wolves are gone she'll attack you."

"You were supposed to be teaching her to control her instincts," Sarah accused. "What happened?"

"She escaped," Edward shot out, ferocity in every syllable. Sarah recoiled from the anger and his face immediately showed apology. "I'm sorry," he said slowly, "but all of this is just too much. Rosalie..."

Sarah put her hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"Thank you," he said after a moment. "But you two need to run, now. Daisha will go after you, and even though there are so many of us here, I've never seen a newborn with such tenacity before. She could break through."

"But..." Sarah gasped, trying to block her tears from spilling over. "Can't you..."

Edward's eyes turned cold. "I'm sorry Sarah. I'll come back when Daisha is where she needs to be. I won't be the one to try to teach her this time, I promise."

Sarah lowered her head and felt Edward's ice cold finger, so much colder than the frigid air around them, under hear chin.

"I promise," he repeated. He bent down to kiss her lips softly, barely brushing hers with his, and then he pushed her aside, forcing her to run away from the snarling battle taking place. Sarah reached out and took Joe's arm, and the two of them began running blindly through the cold Alaska night. A piercing whine from behind them forced Sarah to look back and see what was happening. With Edward in the fray, she hated to leave them behind. Without watching where she was going, however, she felt her leg get tangled with Joe's, and both of them went crashing to the ground once more. Sarah landed smoothly enough that she didn't think she had sustained any injuries, but Joe landed on his knees, feeling the rough ground cut into his skin. As he rolled over, he glared at Sarah.

"Nice," he shot, examining his knees. They were skinned badly, fresh blood oozing out from underneath his now ripped jeans. "Damn..." he muttered.

Back in the fight, Daisha had just delivered a bone crushing blow to one of the wolves heads, forcing it to emit a high pitched whine as it fell dead to the ground. It was just as she turned to kill the last wolf that she smelled it. In that one instant, Daisha could feel herself slipping once more out of control, and she turned toward the beautiful, delectable scent of the human. It had just grown stronger, the aroma wafting through her, controlling her, becoming her. She knew exactly what had caused the change, and without waiting for another split second, she launched herself toward the smell of blood. The two humans were standing up, and only one of them had the precious smell emanating from him. In a flash, Daisha was directly in front of Joe, he scarlet eyes appraising him as a butcher examines a fresh piece of fine meat.

Before Joe even had time to open his mouth and scream, Daisha reached out and grabbed his hair, yanking him into her. Her stone cold hands formed marble claws that slid icily around his neck, preparing to rip it apart.

CRASH! An earsplitting smack rang in Joe's ear and he felt himself slipping from Daisha's grasp as she flew away, another body joining hers. He spun around, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening, and he was rewarded with the sight of Daisha rolling on the ground, a tiny Alice clutched in her claw-like grasp. Their scuffle was short lived and ferocious, and it resulted in Daisha crouching defensively on the ground with Alice perched imp-like on her back, her hands gripping Daisha's neck, ready to separate it from the rest of her body with a simple yank.

"Stop!" Sarah yelled, stretching her arm out in an attempt to drive her point outward. "Don't kill her!"

Alice looked up and Daisha struggled to free herself from beneath her. "Why?" She slammed Daisha's head violently into the frosted ground, curbing her violent escape attempts with an angry whine.

"She's still Daisha," Sarah cried back. "She's still our friend!"

Carlisle's voice sounded, the last werewolf finally slain. "She's right, Alice."

Alice sighed. As Carlisle approached her, she released her grip on Daisha. Before she could even attempt to get to her feet again, Carlisle had her in an impossible hold and was leading her away from the others without another word said.

Joe was lying on the ground, trying to force the air into his lungs. After several minutes, he looked up at Alice who was staring down at him with an unreadable expression.

"You saved my life," he said to her. It was more of a question than a statement, as if he was wondering if that was truly her intention. When she made no movement to respond, Joe continued. "I thought... I mean, you could have just let her kill me. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"I don't want you dead," Alice attempted to explain. "I want you gone. Jasper has grown... attached to you lately. Dangerously attached to someone so expendable. However, if you were to die, I am doubtful as to how well he would be able to cope with it. I would never subject him to something like that. I was doing it for him. Not you. I would still very much like you gone." Without another word, she turned quickly and glided away, moving towards Esme.

Joe and Sarah moved quietly to join the other vampires in a loose circle around the three limp wolf bodies. Sarah moved immediately to stand next to Edward, and Joe began to head towards Jasper. However, at the look from Alice, he moved to be by Emmett instead. They had arrived in the middle of a hushed conversation that continued as if they hadn't walked over at all.

"Are you sure?" Jasper was asking, his dark golden eyes focused intently on Alice's.

"Positive," she replied briskly. "The pack leader isn't here. He's at least twice the size of these pups."

"We saw the pack leader escape though," Esme argued. "He was with these three wolves here."

"So where is he now?" Emmett asked. His usual carefree smile was gone now, his expression as cold and stony as his skin. Even his eyes seemed darker than the others now, even though he had last hunted at the same time as his family. Rosalie's death seemed to have sapped the very essence of what Emmett had once been, leaving only a stone shell.

Edward's eyes suddenly lit up. "Alice, didn't you say these wolves were after revenge against the Quileute tribe?"

Alice had caught on to him immediately, knowing what he would say as soon as he did. "And if they see Jacob as the Quileute pack leader than they had to have gone after Jacob."

"Where is Jacob?" Esme asked. "He needs to be warned."

"He's back in..." Alice's mouth drooped slightly. "Oh no."

"What is it?" Jasper asked, taking a step forward.

"He stayed in Forks," Alice said slowly, as if she were trying to concentrate on too many things at once. "With Jessica. They stayed at our house."

"Jacob's with Jessica?" Sarah asked suddenly, her eyes squinting. "She's been with him the whole time?"

"Apparently," Alice replied with a hint of vulgarity in her tone, "he imprinted on her."

"Wow," Joe said softly, his mind temporarily distracted from the present events.

"The Quileute tribe is already headed back though," Esme pressed. "Surely they'll help Jacob."

"If they knew what was happening, they would," Alice said more quickly now. She had started to pace absentmindedly and no one tried to stop her. "I don't see any reason why they would stop by Forks on their way back to La Push though, and with Jacob no longer connected to the pack plural, there would be no way for them to know that Jacob needed their help."

"We have to save Jessica," Sarah persisted. "If the pack leader manages to kill Jacob, do you really think he'll let Jessica live?"

"She's right," Edward said, scooping Sarah up into his arms. "We have to help them. For both of them."

"It will take us hours to get back," Alice replied with her arms crossed. "There's no way we'd make it back in time."

"We have to try anyway," Jasper agreed with Edward as he walked over to Joe, ignoring the piercing venomous gaze coming from Alice. Smoothly, Jasper lifted Joe into his arms and Joe closed his eyes, breathing in Jasper's addicting scent once more. He chanced a glance over at Alice to see if she was still glaring in their direction, and he was shocked to see she wasn't. Instead, she was looking away from them, her eyes hell bent on not showing an ounce of emotion.

Without another word, the Cullens began running against time and chance to try and save a werewolf and a human before it was too late.

* * *

Jessica leaned up and pressed her lips firmly against Jacob's neck. They were in the backyard, the sound of the nearby stream trickling in the background. Above, the stars shone brightly and lit up the landscape with a beauty and luminance not often seen in real life.

Slowly, as if she was testing dangerous waters, Jessica trailed her fingertips down Jacob's bare, russet chest. It moved up and down in time with his slow, steady breathing. Delicately, her fingers drifted lower, running over the firm abs that dipped and rose with each new muscle.

"I love you," she whispered quietly into the night.

"Not as much as I love you," he whispered back, lifting her head so she was looking into his eyes.

"I doubt it," she grinningly replied.

He laughed and with moves like lightening, grabbed her and lifted her into the air. He ran and jumped messily into the stream, sending water everywhere.

"Put me down!" Jessica shrieked in surprise.

"Alright," he grinned demonically, and with the smoothness of an Olympic diver sent both of them flying into the cold water.

"It's cold!" Jessica cried out. "You're insane!"

"You like it," Jacob cooed as he pulled her in tighter to him, pressing his almost bare body against hers. In just a few seconds, Jessica found that with Jacob there, the cold water wasn't so unbearable. "Better?" he asked.

"Much," Jessica breathed out, feeling the water around her and Jacob together, it almost felt as if they were one person. The warmth no longer seemed to be coming from Jacob, but from within her as well. Without even realizing what was happening, Jacob found himself kissing Jessica vigorously, unlike he had kissed her before. Her slowly moved down her neck, and Jessica felt herself take a sharp intake of air as his lips brushed lightly over her chest. Suddenly, however, something stopped, and they became two separate people once more, Jacob standing up, pulling Jessica with him.

"What is it?" Jessica asked, confused. With the added space between them and the cool night air around her, Jessica had begun shaking from her soaked situation.

Jacob looked at her, his shaggy hair dripping heavily in his face. His pants hung precariously low on his slender waist and Jessica had to struggle to keep her eyes off of them. She was upset that Jacob had ended their fun, and was desperate to solve the problem so they could get back to it.

"Earlier," Jacob started, looking deep into her eyes as if he were boring into her very being. "You asked if I would ever leave you. Why?"

Jessica was so shocked at his question that it took her several seconds to even remember what he was talking about. "That's what's bothering you?" she asked ludicrously.

Jacob merely nodded, his look of confusion etched into every line of his face.

"Well," Jessica tried to explain, "I don't really know. It's just a feeling I had earlier. Like we wouldn't be together for much longer."

Jacob stepped closer to her, giving her the embrace that she so desperately longed for. "I would never leave you Jessica. Not for anyone, not for anything. Not for the whole world. I'll always be here for you, and nothing will change that. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible for anyone to love, and then some. I don't even know how expansive my love for you is, but I know that it could never be broken. No matter what, I swear to you that we will be together until our time comes, always."

Jessica shook her head. "I know," she sighed. "I was being stupid."

"Just a little," Jacob smirked. "Let's go back to the house. You must be freezing!"

Jessica clung to him even tighter. "It's not so bad as long as I'm with you."

He laughed his goofy laugh, and Jessica was glad the serious moment was over. "Come on..." He paused for a moment. "Do you need me to carry you?"

"I think I'm good," Jessica said as she stretched out her leg. They had taken it out of its cast today at Jessica's request. It still ached, but it was nothing compared to how it had been just a few days before. "I don't think it was really broken, just really, really bruised."

For a split second, Jacob smiled down at her with love radiating in his stare, and then he stopped, looking up and past Jessica, a frown on his beautiful face. "Someone's coming," Jacob said shortly, pulling Jessica behind him. "Someone familiar. Stay back."

Jessica peered out from behind Jacob's wet shoulder and looked for any sign of the intruder, but there was none. Jacob began walking forward slowly and Jessica followed, not sure what she was being so careful for. Then she saw him coming towards them from the dark forest. A man with the same copper skin as Jacob, only darker, as if he came from a much sunnier place. Once he came closer, Jessica could see that it was also partly because he was covered in grime and dirt. His jet black hair hung down in long, greasy strands to his back. It wasn't his skin or his hair that made Jessica stop in shock, however. It was his sheer size. The man was at leat eight feet tall and was about the width of Jacob four times over, all of it pure, rippling muscle. He didn't look like an overbuilt bodybuilder. Instead, he just looked like he was born huge, lived huge, and would always be huge. Something about the way the man, the hulk, moved made Jessica wary. Almost as if he was constantly in a swagger, owning the entire world around him.

"You..." Jacob muttered, his form quivering dangerously under Jessica's grasp. Shocked, she let go of him and took a few steps back. Was Jacob going to transform in front of this stranger?

"Who is it?" Jessica asked, perhaps a little too loud.

"You've met him before," Jacob assured her without turning around. "In the forest. The same night you met me."

Jessica thought back to that fateful night, and she struggled to remember when she had ever met this mountain on terror before. Surely she would have remembered something like him. As he silently approached, however, Jessica realized what Jacob must mean. This man, this monster, was the same wolf that had tried to kill Jessica in the woods not even a week ago. Knowing she was coming face to face with him frightened Jessica more than she would have thought possible, and she slowly slumped to her knees. And Jacob was going to fight him? He didn't stand a chance against a beast of this caliber.

"Jacob Black," the monster rumbled. His voice wasn't o much a tone as it was a grown, constantly coming from the man's enormous barrel of a chest.

"At your service," Jacob replied through gritted teeth. Whatever he was doing to keep himself in control was obviously taking a lot of his strength.

"The famous packleader of the Quileute tribe," the man continued. "It's an honor, I assure you."

"And who might you be?" Jacob asked curiously through ragged breaths.

"Collin," the beast rumbled lowly. The name didn't look like it fit the man, and Jessica almost let out a weak laugh at the sound of it.

"You call me the packleader," Jacob said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. "Why?"

"You're great grandfather was the packleader before you," Collin growled. "Therefor, you are the packleader now."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Muscles," Jacob shot, "but I'm not the packleader around here. You've got the wrong --"

"Shut up!" Collin roared suddenly, and Jessica saw the monster's form begin to quake as well. "You are the packleader according to the bloodlines. You really think that just because you don't want to be the packleader, that means your not? It doesn't work that way, Shrimp." Collin's dark eyes visibly moved from Jacob to Jessica. "This must be your mate. Yes, we did make a mistake with the other one. They look alike though."

"Screw you," Jacob shot back like lightening, repositioning himself between Collin and Jessica. "Leave her out of this."

"You're actually going to put up a fight?" The hulking mammoth let out a roar of laughter. "How pathetic. You know, now that I have you I don't have much need for her as bait, but she could provide a petty meal once we're finished."

Jacob snarled and Jessica could tell he was milliseconds away from phasing when suddenly, Collin's thick arm reached out and grabbed Jacob's throat. It happened so fast that Jacob didn't even have time to react, and he was soon struggling, his feet inches from the ground.

"Jacob!" Jessica screamed, unable to move from her spot on the ground.

"My whole life has been about destroying you," Collin snarled into Jacob's face, spraying him with spit. "I remember when my father was viciously slain by your ancestors for no other reason than for being a good leader. I remember it like it was yesterday."

Jacob's eyes widened as he continued to fight off the man, unable to draw a breath. Collin could practically see the gears turning in Jacob's head.

"Yes," the monster roared. "Your ancestors killed my father, and I'm here for revenge. You know as well as I do that while we share a wolves spirit, we do not age. You share the spirit of the wolf when a cold one appears. That is your purpose. Our purpose, however, is to kill you. Because that hasn't yet been accomplished, I still share the same wolf spirit as I did several hundred years ago. My entire life is about to come down to these few moments when I end your life. I do hope you'll pardon my melodrama, but I've been waiting for this for a very long time..."

For the slightest of seconds, Collin's expression relaxed and he was momentarily lost in the moment. In that one instant, Jacob took advantage of the moment and exploded in a burst of fur and claws. Collin, caught off guard, released the wolf. Jacob stood on all fours, his teeth bared and his eyes narrowed. With Collin standing straight up, he was about as tall as Jacob was in wolf form, which was definitely saying something.

In a flash, Collin snapped out and backhanded Jacob across the muzzle. Jessica thought this was a stupid move on his part. No human could ever hope to harm a werewolf in wolf form. However, much to hers and Jacob's surprise, the large dog went flying through the air, landing roughly on his side in the dirt.

Collin smiled, then turned to leer at Jessica. Almost as if he was in slow motion, Collin slumped down to all fours and jet black fur sprouted from every surface. His bone structure buckled underneath his skin and he began to grow. The difference in between the two wolves were shocking. Collin was at leat twice as huge as Jacob was, towering over some of the smaller trees in the forest. He seemed much bigger now than he did in the forest that night, but it was probably just the gigantic trees around them that made him look so much smaller.

With a roar, Collin launched through the air, landing with four loud thumps in front of Jessica. He growled menacingly, freezing Jessica in place on the ground. She couldn't move, couldn't scream, and Collin's teeth inched slowly towards her.

Out of nowhere, Jacob pounced onto the monster's back, his teeth dug into its flesh. Collin reared back and let out an angry roar and began shaking violently. Jacob was just barely holding on as he was flung back and forth by the gargantuan beast until finally he was thrown off, landing on all four paws a few yards away. Collin turned to face and bared his yellowed fangs, a deep growl emitting from his chest. Jacob lunged at Collin once more, but this time Collin was expecting it. He sidestepped Jacob's attack easily and then spun around, biting down hard on Jacob's back. Jacob involuntarily let out a high pitched whine and flailed his legs trying to get free. Collin shook him around like a rag doll until Jacob went limp, his whines silenced.

Jessica found that she suddenly had control of her legs and she stood shakily, watching as Collin clutched the now limp Jacob in his fangs. In the starlight, Jessica could see dark red liquid oozing down her love, matting itself inside of his fur. With what looked like a wicked grin, Collin raised his head high and threw Jacob as hard as he could into the ground. There was a final exhaustion of breath and Jacob laid lifeless in the grass, sprawled out in an odd angle. Without thinking of her own safety, Jessica ran towards Jacob, sobbing.

"You bastard!" she screamed when she finally reached him, kneeling down and looking up at Collin's huge form. Even in the darkness and in his wolf form, Jessica could tell the maniacal mutt was grinning at her.

He slowly lowered his huge head towards Jessica's, his hot, rancid breath blowing in her face. From deep within him, Jessica could just barely make out a low rumbling, almost like a purr. He was pleased with himself, she realized. It disgusted her more than his rank breath.

She glared angrily into his eyes, the inhumanity they conveyed only fueled her anger. "You... You..." But what Jessica thought Collin was was never uttered. Just as he was about to reach forward and snap at her neck, he stopped. His expression shifted, and the purring within his chest was cut off, only to be replaces by a low whine. He took several steps backward, casting a fearful and confused glance around the field. Then he fell down, his head twitching violently, his eyes rolling within their sockets.

Jessica had no clue what was going on, but she was thankful for it. She looked down at Jacob and saw that he seemed to be breathing shallowly, and Jessica cradled his furry head in her arms. "It'll be okay," Jessica whispered to him, not sure if he could hear her or not. "It'll all work out."

Suddenly, there was a distinct silence in the air that made Jessica look up. Collin had stopped thrashing on the ground, now lying still, breathing in ragged gasps. Jessica looked at him, wondering what was happening.

"It's amazing how incapacitating the proper level of pain can be," a voice sounded from the darkness. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Jessica looked around aghast. "Who's there?" The voice sounded like it came from behind Collin, but Jessica could see no one there. What shocked her the most was that it almost sounded like a little girls voice, very high pitched and innocent, but with a hint of maliciousness behind it. It frightened Jessica and she realized that whatever it was, she would have to face it alone.

Without warning, a pale shape appeared in the darkness by Collin's now still body. It looked like a little girl, not any older than eight or nine at the most. She had translucently pale skin and Jessica immediately recognized her for what she was -- a vampire. She wore black robes that trailed behind her when she walked. Walked was a misinterpretation though. This little girl staked, not walked. She was constantly in a form as if she were expecting someone to jump out at her. He blood red eyes were visible even in the darkness of the night. Without saying a single word, she bent down and grasped Collin's monumentally huge head in her tiny grasp. It was almost comical, such a small girl handling such a large creature. The head of the beast was nearly as big as she was. Then, all humor was erased from the picture when, with a twitch of her hands, she broke Collin's neck, the crack of it resounding and echoing over the large yard. Jessica tried to block out the sound, but it was no use. She knew she would never forget it, and it would continue to haunt her in her nightmares.

"So," the young girl started as she approached Jessica. "You must be Jessica."

"How do you know my name?" Jessica asked her, looking at her as someone might look at a two headed dog.

"The Volturi knows everything that goes on in our world," the girl assured her. "You and your friends are quite famous in our little circle. My name is Jane."

Jessica immediately blanched. It should have been obvious from the get go who this girl was, but for some reason Jessica's mind refused to allow her to consider the possibility. She knew all about Jane. How evil she was. How merciless, how dangerous.

"Wh - wh - why are you here?" Jessica stuttered. In her mind, she thought she would have rather have another round with Collin than deal with Jane. She didn't know how she was going to get Jacob and herself out of this alive. Surely they were breaking one of the Volturi's precious rules.

"The Volturi heard about the wolf war going on," Jane replied boredly, "and about you and your friends pretty much destroying the Cullen clan."

"Well no one else is here," Jessica replied quickly. "They're all up North. You came too late... again."

"We know," Jane said with disdain. "I told you. We know everything. The others have already met with the rest of the Cullens when they were on their way back down here. They told us about how they fell for a diversion and the real threat was down here, with you and your mutt. So I hurried down, hoping to get here before I missed any of the action. I was lucky too, I saw the whole thing."

"You saw the whole thing?" Jessica asked in disbelief.

Jane began walking around Jessica, keeping her diminutive stature always in motion. "Yep."

"Why didn't you save Jacob then?" Jessica asked through clenched teeth.

"Why would I?" Jane asked bewildered. "He's a dog. No loss."

"You bitch..." Jessica muttered fiercely. She could feel the anger begin to rise within her again and she fought to keep it in control. This wasn't the place or the person to lose control in front of.

"I saved your life," Jane shot back. "This is the thanks I get? I easily could have let you die and told the others I arrived too late."

Jessica glared at the ground, refusing to look at the demonic little girl. She felt the tears begin to well over and she attempted to fight them off.

Then, without warning, she was plunged into hell beyond hell. It was as if her very bones were on fire, her muscles were boiling beneath her skin. She was being slowly devoured by a livid, fiery beast, and she could do nothing about it. She was blind, unable to comprehend anything but the ferocious pain eating away at her. As suddenly as it had begun, however, it was over, and Jessica found herself lying on her side, curled into a ball, sweating as if she had just run a marathon. She looked up to see why Jane had stopped and was shocked to see Jacob biting into her leg with renewed vigor. For a split second, Jessica was touched beyond measure, knowing that Jacob had faced his pain and saved her from Jane. That was quickly replaced by fear for the life of her most beloved, however, and she tried to get herself off the ground to help him.

"Get off me you stupid mutt!" Jane yelled, batting at Jacob with both of her hands, but to no avail. Jacob's limp body held on tightly, not letting go for anything. With an evil grin, Jane raised her hand high to strike Jacob down for good, and Jessica screamed, covering her eyes.

"STOP!" An unbelievably pale vampire was standing not twenty feet from where Jane and Jessica were. His skin was much different from that of other vampires, however, and Jessica immediately recognized him as one of the Volturi. His jet black hair and blood red eyes contrasted so harshly with his white skin that Jessica almost didn't know if he was real for several minutes. "Jane," he continued in a softer voice as he flowed towards them. "I told you very specifically that you weren't to harm the human or her dog."

Behind the vampire stood Esme, flanked on either side by Emmett and Alice. Behind them, Jasper and Edward stood silently, and running towards Jessica across the grass was Joe, followed swiftly by Sarah. When they reached her, they all enveloped in a teary, unbelieving hug.

"Of course, Marcus," Jane replied quietly. She kicked her leg out suddenly, and Jacob released her, unconscious once more.

"We must leave," Marcus informed her. "Now."

"Marcus!" Jane hissed at him. "Surely you haven't forgotten our rules! These humans know of our existence, they cannot be allowed to live!"

"If you remember," Marcus replied, "I am one of the three who made the rules in the first place. I'm not likely to forget them any time soon. All has been discussed with Carlisle. This Daisha girl... She shows great promise."

Jane sighed, then turned to face Jessica. She shot her one last evil look and then turned to stalk off into the woods.

Marcus turned to Esme. "You'll give Carlisle my regards?"

"Of course," she replied sweetly, bowing her head slightly.

Marcus returned the gesture and then took one last curious look at the three humans before heading hurriedly after Jane.

Esme put her hand on Jessica's shoulder. "Come on dear," she said softly. "Let's get you inside."

Jessica looked up at her, unable to contain her tears for any longer. "Will he be alright?"

Esme looked down at her with a strange, unreadable look in her eyes. "Let's go inside," was all the solace that she offered her.

Quietly, they all trailed into the newly repaired house, taking Jacob with them as the sun rose in the east, not a cloud in the sky.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow. Sorry this took so unbelievably long to type up. I had a slight inspiration fault, but it's over now. One more chapter to go and then part one is finished!


	13. Separate Ways

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Twilight characters. Any original content, however, is probably mine.

**A/N:** Just a reminder that the four main characters are real people, people that I know, and some of the content contained in later chapters may anger some people. That being said, I did try to keep the characters as close to how Stephenie Meyer wrote them, though I know I could never get them perfect. If you feel so inspired, please feel free to review with criticism or compliments.

**Chapter 13 -- Separate Ways**

**24 Hours Later**

Joe, Jessica, and Sarah were standing outside on the still damp grass from the last rainfall, the sun filtering meekly in between the clouds above. The three of them stood in complete silence, no one knowing what to say or how to act. They were just staying in the moment, not knowing where life was going to take them next. Their decisions had been made, and each of them had their own paths to follow. After a few more minutes of no speaking, Sarah couldn't stand it anymore, and she pulled Jessica into a warm hug.

"You have to promise me you'll keep in touch," Sarah whispered as she began to cry.

"Of course!" Jessica replied, perhaps a little too loud, her smile just a little too forced.

Joe stood there for a moment, then he too enveloped Jessica in his own hug. "We'll miss you," he mumbled, not wanting to believe this was really happening.

"Oh, come on," Jessica said, pulling away. "It's not like we'll never see each other again!" They all stood there for several more minutes in comfortable silence, just watching the wind play itself against the trees in the forest, and then Jessica began walking. "Well," she said as she headed into the trees, "I'm gonna go ahead and go."

Joe and Sarah watched as she approached a very bruised, very battered looking Jacob. He was leaning against a tree with an unbelievably large grin on his face for how much pain he looked like he was in. He waved goodbye to Joe and Sarah even though he only met them for the first time that morning, and then he turned, his arm around Jessica's shoulder. As the two of them disappeared into the darkness, Jessica never looked back.

Joe turned towards Sarah, a dark look on his face. "Now for the hard part..."

Sarah laughed forcibly, then gulped. She tried in vain to wipe the tears from her face, but they were continuously replaced by fresh saline, and she let out a strangled sob as they began waking back to the beautiful Cullen house.

Carlisle had given them the morning to say their goodbyes before they were forcibly evicted once more. Carlisle and Esme had both stepped out graciously, but they promised to be back by noon, by which time Joe and Sarah promised to be gone.

The two of them stepped into the conspicuously empty living room and, with a feeling of dread, headed up the stairs together.

Sarah stopped at Edward's door and paused, trying to gather to courage to knock. For split second she chickened out, instead turning around to leave without saying goodbye, but then a melodic voice from inside the room called out "Come in Sarah," and she turned around, shaking, to open the door. Joe could see Edward relaxing on his long sofa inside the room before Sarah closed the door behind her.

"Hi Edward," Sarah exhaled, her voice barely audible.

Edward held out his arms, inviting Sarah into him. Sarah hesitantly crossed the room, but instead of accepting his invitation, she sat on the opposite end of the couch, ignoring his open arms and disappointed expression.

"I assume by now you are aware that Bella has returned," Edward began, reluctantly lowering his arms and turning to face her.

"It's all I've been able to think about lately," she lowly replied.

"I know," Edward grinningly revealed. "Trust me, I know. You're also aware that Carlisle refuses you and your friends to stay in this house for any longer."

Sarah merely nodded, unable to focus on this painful revelation.

"Then..." Edward began, unwilling to finish his necessary sentence, "you know that... this... us... we... can't continue any longer."

Sarah said nothing in reply. There was no need to.

Edward sighed. "Bella is very mad at me. I don't need to read her mind to know that. But she will forgive me. After all, she was in the very same situation at one point in time. She can sympathize with my situation."

"She'll forgive you," Sarah said surely. "Because she loves you."

"Would you forgive me?" Edward asked curiously.

"Yes," Sarah answered slowly, "because I love you."

Edward looked at her with a pained expression, as if he wasn't sure if he could say what he needed to. "And I... love you Sarah. Perhaps in another life, somehow, we could be. But... My heart belongs to Bella."

"But some part of it..." Sarah trailed off, unable to continue.

"Some part of me will always love you," Edward graciously allowed her. "In a different way from the way I love better. In some ways, it's a better love than the love I have for Bella. It's safer, less dangerous. I was always fated to love Bella, but I chose to love you. Perhaps in that way, you will always have a part of me that Bella can't."

Sarah thought about this for a moment, then decided that this was the most she was going to get at the moment, and she was surprised to notice that she was happy to have it.

Edward slowly reached across the sofa, cradling Sarah's face in his hands before drawing her into him, placing his lips gently against hers, then after a few minutes, becoming more powerful in his movements. He became passionate as he caressed her neck, her back, her thighs.

At some point, both of them realized that while they kissed, Sarah had begun to cry, and Edward slowed down, cradling her in his arms, occasionally kissing her tears away, but for the most part, letting her cry out her sorrows. Sarah pulled herself into Edward as far as she could, burying her tear stained face into his shirt, losing herself completely in his smell, trying to absorb as much of him as she could before her time in heaven was up and she was discarded back to the hell of the real world.

Silently, they both knew when it was time for Sarah to leave, and she got up without complaint, her tears long dried. With only a single glance back at the angel sitting on the couch with a look of immense pain on his face, Sarah walked away from her love and her life, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Joe saw Sarah step into Edward's room, closing the door as she entered. Sighing, Joe continued down the hall towards the one room he wanted to go in, but was terrified of what he might find when he did. Cautiously, he approached Jasper's already open door and stopped in the doorframe, looking down at his feet.

"Hi Alice," Joe greeted, looking up only long enough to get his words out, then continued looking down in humiliation.

"Joe," Alice replied curtly. She looked at him with an unreadable expression, but not one of pure anger. She exited the room past him and headed down the hall into her own room, and Joe was saddened to notice that some of the dance seemed to have disappeared from her step.

Jasper stood suddenly, causing Joe to look up at him. "Hi..." Joe said softly, uncertainly.

"Alice forgave me," he said shortly, as if trying to get the courtesies over as quickly as possible. "She says she understands. I do love her, and she knows that. There's another part of me though, a part that neither her nor I have every experienced before, and that part loves you as well."

Joe stepped up to him and wrapped his arms around Jasper's waist, feeling the chill of the vampire's skin beneath the thin shirt he wore.

"I think it makes it easier for her that it was with you," Jasper continued, "another male. That way, she doesn't feel as if she failed, because there was no way she could give me what you could."

"Will you two be... okay?" Joe asked slowly. "The same?"

"We still love each other," Jasper explained, "very, very much. More than we love the other members of our little family. However, now that love is in a different way. Like friends, or, no... Like family. I guess it's the same love we've always had, we just never knew that that's the love we were feeling. Alice just assumed her vision meant that we would be together romantically, but I don't think she interpreted it correctly."

"I want to be with you Jasper," Joe whispered.

Jasper grinned, leaning down so his mouth was next to Joe's ear. "And I with you," he whispered, blowing cold air against Joe's skin, raising goose bumps along his body. "It can't happen though, not with Carlisle."

"Then come with me," Joe pleaded, clutching tighter to Jasper's statuesque body, desperately reaching out to him.

"I'm sorry," Jasper said softly as he lowered himself to a low crouch, bringing his head to chest level on Joe. "My duty must first lie with my family. If there were some way for us to be together with Carlisle's blessing... But we can't."

Jasper smiled and Joe could feel a soft prickling along his body, his sadness drifting away, replaced by a shrill giddiness that filled him up.

"Jasper, stop!" Joe screamed, an unstoppable smile spreading across his lips. "I don't want to be happy without you!"

"Jasper just continued to smile, refusing to allow the pain he felt to seep through. "It's 11:45," he said slowly. "You need to leave." He pulled on Joe's shirt, dragging him down so that their lips met once more, their lips moving together perfectly, their tongues teasing each other as they kissed playfully once more. Slowly, Joe could feel the faux happiness fade as Jasper lost his focus, and he realized that this would be that last kiss he ever got from the most perfect love he would ever be a part of. The kiss turned from playful to passionate and caring, and not nearly long enough.

"Goodbye, Joe," Jasper said as their lips finally broke apart. "Until we meet again."

"Will we?" Joe asked, unable to cry with Jasper controlling his emotions.

"Without a doubt," Jasper responded, standing up again. With one final kiss, Joe turned and walked out the door.

* * *

"How did yours go?" Joe asked as he and Sarah stepped out the front door, closing it behind them.

"It was... hard." Sarah said through her tears. "Yours?"

"Hard," Joe replied. "But I think it'll all work out in the end, you know?"

They climbed into Joe's old Bronco and Joe turned the key in the ignition, forcing it to roar into life. Slowly, Joe backed out and directed his car onto the small path that lead away from the Cullen's home and back to the interstate. Along the way they passed a sleek back Mercedes, Carlisle and Esme just barely visible inside the tinted windows. Carlisle looked straight ahead, not allowing himself to look at the humans who very nearly destroyed his entire family, the humans who killed one of his proclaimed daughters, the humans who would never be forgotten in his family. Esme, on the other hand, smiled warmly and waved at them, and the two of them waved back, trying to force smiles for the loving woman.

When they reached the interstate, it was empty except for one other car heading towards them in the distance. As it approached them, Sarah noticed who it was behind the wheel and her sorrow was momentarily forgotten. "Oh my god!" she called out. "That's Stephenie Meyer!"

Joe looked over and confirmed that she was right and his mouth dropped. "I can't believe we just barely missed her!"

"Do you think we'll be in the next book?" Joe asked oddly.

"Maybe," Sarah said distractedly. "That would be cool."

For several hours they continued down the road in silence, driving in shifts. When the sun set and they were halfway home, they stopped at a rest stop, though neither of them expected to sleep that night.

"Hey Joe?" Sarah asked as they laid there in the car. "I just thought of something."

"What?" Joe asked quietly.

"If Carlisle was in Forks, who's with Daisha?"

Joe stopped for a moment, confused. "I don't know. Maybe... Emmett?"

* * *

Daisha sat cross legged, breathing deeply, her eyes closed. She forced all of her thoughts into resisting the powerful smell permeating her nostrils. Finally, after several minutes, the smell disappeared, and she opened her eyes to gaze up at her newfound inspiration for her newfound control.

Emmett looked down at her as well, smiling. "That was great! You're doing a lot better. Was it harder to resist that last time? I used real human blood, and it was right under your nose."

"Not really," she replied. "It's easier when I'm not hungry."

Emmett laughed, a large, booming laugh. "You know," he said when he had calmed down, "I wasn't sure how long it would be before I would be able to laugh again. Thanks."

Gently, he pulled her in for another kiss, their ice cold lips crushing each other in passion never before felt by either of them.

Behind them, the Alaskan sun sank lower in the sky.

**A/N: **Whew. It's finaly done. Thanks so much to everyone who gave me any sort of comment, whether it be criticism or compliment. This was my first attempt at puting my fanfiction online, and I daresay I think it may have been a success. :)

As I said before, this was only part one of Dusk, and part two is coming soon. Personally, I like part two beter. It's filled with oodles more of everything we all love about twilight! So keep your eyes out for that. It will be entitled "Dusk II: Sacrifice," so keep your eyes open!


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